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The thyroid is a few inches wide, and weighs
about an ounce. |
At least 10 million
Americans are being treated for thyroid diseases.
About 350,000 people in the
United States have hyperthyroidism in one form or another, and there may be one million
Americans who have this disease and don't even know it.
Thyroid diseases are 5 times
more common in women than men ?
The name "Thyroid"
comes from a Greek word meaning "shield".
Graves' disease is the most
common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is named for the 19th-century Irish physician who was
one of the first to describe it.
The main common cause of hypothyroidism is an
autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto's disease, named for the Japanese
physician who first recognized it in 1912.
5 to 8 % of women develop
hypothyroidism soon after giving birth.
1.5 billion people in 110
countries around the world do not have enough iodine in their diet, and are at risk for
goiter.
Thyroid disease may be the
most common cause of correctable growth retardation in children
Iodine deficiency is now
recognized as the most common cause of preventable brain damage and mental disability in
the world today. Both mental and physical effects of iodine deficiency can be prevented
with the simple use of iodized salt or oil. |
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| Goiter |
Enlargement of the thyroid gland is called goiter. It is usually
caused by a lack of iodine in the diet, thyroid infection, or excessive thyroid function
(hyperthyroidism). Since iodine has been added to table salt, the incidence of goiter has
decreased in the past 50 years.Goiter doesn't
necessary mean thyroid disease, since it can also be caused by physiological changes such
as puberty or pregnancy.
Sometimes, thyroid enlargement is restricted to one part of
the gland; the rest of the gland being normal. The most common cause of this is one or
more cysts or nodules, which may be benign or malignant. |
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Graves' disease (thyrotoxicosis) is due to a unique antibody
called TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Antibody) which stimulates the thyroid cells to grow
larger and to produce excessive amounts of thyroid hormones. In this disease, the goiter
is due not to TSH but to this unique antibody. |
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| About 200 million
people in the world have some kind of thyroid disease. Most thyroid disorders are
treatable; however too many still remain undetected, or undiagnosed at an early
stage of development. |
 What
is the thyroid ?
Symptoms of thyroid diseases
Diagnosis & Tests
Treatment
Thyroid disease and birth
Internet Resources
What is the Thyroid ? |
|
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland is located in the
front of the neck, just below the Adam's apple. It plays an important role in regulating
the body's metabolism and organ function. Thyroid hormone influences essentially every
organ, every tissue and every cell in the body.
Symptoms of Thyroid Diseases |
|
There are two main conditions of thyroid diseases: hyperthyroidism
(overactivity of the thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactivity of the
thyroid).
These symptoms may not be present alltogether, but if you
experience several of these, you should ask your doctor to be tested (see Diagnosis & Tests below).
Hypothyroidism
- weak slow heart beat
- muscular weakness and constant fatigue
- intolerance to cold temperatures
- thick puffy, dry skin
- slowed mental processes and poor memory
- constipation
- weight gain
- forgetfulness
- goiter
Hyperthyroidism
- rapid forceful heartbeat
- tremor
- muscular weakness
- weight loss in spite of increased appetite
- restlessness, anxiety and sleeplessness
- profuse sweating and heat intolerance
- diarrhea
- eye changes (double vision, bulgy eyes...)
- goiter
Diagnosis & Tests |
|
There are excellent tests to determine thyroid function so
that the diagnosis can be made in almost all instances.
To find out if you have a thyroid problem, your doctor will
check the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and the amount of thyroid
hormone in your blood. Here are the normal levels :
Normal levels of
TSH and Thyroid Hormone |
| TSH |
0.5 - 5.0 mU/L |
| Thyroid
hormone T4 or Thyroxine |
4.7 - 11.1 ug/dl |
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If hyperthyroidism is diagnosed, a thyroid scan should then
be performed to determine whether the hyperthyroidism is due to Graves' disease or another
condition such as toxic multinodular goiter, hot nodule, subacute thyroiditis, or silent
thyroiditis. There are other, rare, cases of hyperthyroidism that usually require the
expertise of an endocrinologist for diagnosis.
For more information on tests, read Tests To Determine
Thyroid Problems
Treatment |
|
There's no way to cure an underactive thyroid, but treatment
can be as simple as a pill-a-day lifetime
hormone replacement.
Synthetic thyroid hormone makes treatment easy, inexpensive
and effective. It may take some time however to determine the right dose of thyroid
hormone: too much increases the risk of bone loss, osteoporosis and cardiac arrhythmia;
too little can increase blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Thyroid Disease and Birth |
|
Besides the increased risk for goiter in pregnant women after
delivery (see left), there is also a risk for children and babies to get thyroid disease.
Left undiagnosed, this yields to mental and physical retardation.
Therefore, every baby should get a TSH blood test at birth,
as recommended in the Guidelines for Newborn Screening and Treatment from the American
Academy of Pediatrics. With early screening, it is possible to diagnose congenital
hypothyroidism and thereby prevent permanent brain damage by early treatment with thyroid
hormone.
Newborn screening is now universal in the United Kingdom,
Canada and the U.S. as well as many developed countries.
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