Effects of Hypothyroidism on the Body
Hypothyroidism is a disease where in the thyroid glands generates not enough thyroid hormones, specifically thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are important because they are located in nearly all cell of the body and they help in controlling carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
The underproduction of thyroid hormones in hypothyroidism leads to symptoms that are results of a slow body metabolism. Those who have hypothyroidism typically feels weary since they cannot get energy properly from the carbohydrates that they take in. They cannot endure cold, have higher sensitivity to it, and have a decreased basal body temperature because of the insufficient thyroid hormones needed for heat generation. They have weak body composition on account of the diminished metabolism of their body. Due to that they often have poor muscle tone (hyptonia), carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle cramps and joint pain, thin brittle fingernails, thin brittle hair, osteoporosis, dry itchy skin, and thinning of the eyebrows. Additionally, hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency and lymphatic thyroiditis presents with the bloating of the neck due to the inflammation of the thyroid glands, generally known as goiter.
The slow metabolic rate also affects numerous systems of the body, making them unable to do their job and can lead to the following symptoms of hypothyroidism: abnormal menstrual cycles, decreased sweating, weight gain and water retention, constipation, ;ow heart rate (bradycardia), and in severe cases, heart failure. Hypothyroidism can also lead to a myxedema coma that can be activated by severe illness, surgery, stress, or traumatic injury.
In addition, aside from the symptoms listed above, there are also others that infrequently appear in those who have hypothyroidism. These include impaired memory, impaired cognitive function, slow heart rate, sluggish reflexes, hair loss, anemia, difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, recurrent hypoglycemia, increased need for sleep, irritability, yellowing of the skin due to failure of the body to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, impaired renal function, elevated serum cholesterol, acute psychosis, decreased libido, decreased sense of taste and smell, puffy face, hands and feet, and gynecomastia.
Thyroid hormones are important constituents of the body and for that reason the lack of it could significantly affect the overall condition of your well being. Therefore, it is recommended that you seek advice from a health professional whenever you noticed that you have most of these symptoms.
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