What You Need to Know About Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a disease wherein the thyroid glands generates not enough amount of thyroid hormones, particularly thyroxin and triiodiothyrorine. Thyroid hormones are extremely essential as they perform on nearly all cell in the body, especially for metabolism purposes. Therefore those who have hypothyroidism are apt to have a lowered process in the numerous systems of the body. Some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are fatigue, increased sensitivity to cold, goiter, low heart rate (bradycardia), depression, muscle cramps, carpal tunnel syndrome, decreased sweating, osteoporosis, and much more.
Hypothyroidism can be attributable to iodine deficiency or contact with Iodine-131, a radioactive isotope of iodine that destroys the thyroid. It can also be caused by the genetic autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, where the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. Another cause is lymphocytic thyroiditis, an swelling of the thyroid gland that triggers an overproduction of thyroid hormones, accompanied by a stage of hypothyroidism. Additionally, medications for hyperthyroidism can also result in an under active thyroid.
There’s also various kinds of hypothyroidism. Sometimes the pituitary gland or the hypothalamus is not capable of inducing the thyroid gland to create sufficient thyroid hormones despite the fact that the thyroid gland itself is normal. This disorder is called secondary hypothyroidism and tertiary hypothyroidism, respectively. Meanwhile, subclinical hypothyroidism refers to the condition where there is a reduced serum TSH levels, indicating hypothyroidism, but have normal levels of thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormone deficiency can also occur during birth which is called congenital hypothyroidism. When left untreated, this may lead to growth failure and mental retardation. Hypothyroidism is also a common ailment among domestic dogs.
The treatment method for this disease is a lifelong therapy of synthetic levothyroxine (T4). It is ingested in once a day dosage, although it usually requires larger doses for children. People with a history of heart problems and even those who are suspected of being at high risk are not recommended for this medication as it could aggravate their heart condition. The treatment ought to be frequently examined if the right amount of thyroid is taken. Too much thyroid medication can be be extremely harmful as it might result in heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, and can contribute to osteoporosis.
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