Thyroid gland affects practically all of your body’s metabolic functions through the hormones it generates. Thyroid diseases can range from a little goitre (enlarged gland) that requires no treatment to a life-threatening malignancy. Thyroid disorders are most commonly caused by abnormal thyroid hormone production. Hyperthyroidism is a condition caused by an excess of thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism is caused by a lack of hormone production. Despite the fact that the side effects can be unpleasant or uncomfortable, most thyroid disorders can be effectively managed if they are properly diagnosed and treated.

What is hyporthyroidism and how does it affect you?

When your thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormones than your body requires, this is known as hyporthyroidism.
The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland near the front of the neck. It produces hormones that regulate how the body utilises energy. Hormones affect practically every organ in the body and regulate many of the body’s most vital activities. They have an impact on your respiration, heart rate, weight, digestion, and moods, for example. Hyporthyroidism, if left untreated, can have major consequences for your heart, bones, muscles, menstrual cycle, and fertility. There are, still, medicines that can aid.

What causes hyporthyroidism in the first place?

There are various reasons of hyporthyroidism. They include the following:

• Grave’s disease is an autoimmune ailment in which your immune system assaults your thyroid, causing it to produce excessive amounts of hormone. This is, without a doubt, the most common explanation.
• Thyroid nodules are thyroid gland growths.They are usually harmless (not cancer). However, they may become overactive and produce an excessive amount of thyroid hormone. Thyroid nodules are more common in those over the age of 50.
• Thyroiditis is an inflammatory condition that affects the thyroid gland. It causes your thyroid gland’s stored thyroid hormone to flow out.
• There’s too much iodine in your system. Some medicines, cough syrups, seaweed, and seaweed-based supplements include iodine. If you take too many of these, your thyroid will produce too much thyroid hormone.
• I’m taking too much thyroid medication. People who take thyroid hormone therapy for hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) may experience this if they take too much of it.

Hyporthyroidism affects a wide range of people.

If you smoke, you’re more likely to develop hyperthyroidism.

• Are you a lady?
• Are you over the age of 60?
• Have you been pregnant or given birth in the last six months?
• Have you undergone thyroid surgery or are you suffering from a thyroid condition such as goitre?
• Do you have a relations the past of thyroid issues?
• Have pernicious anaemia, a condition in which the body lacks enough vitamin B12 to make enough healthy red blood cells.
• Have type 1 diabetes or a hormonal issue called primary adrenal insufficiency?
• You can get too much iodine by eating a lot of iodine-rich foods or taking iodine-containing drugs or supplements.

How do you know if you have hyporthyroidism?

Symptoms of hyporthyroidism differ from person to person and may include :

• Irritability or nervousness
• Fatigue
• Muscle deterioration
• Heat Tolerance Issues
• Sleeping problems
• Tremor in the hands is the most common type of tremor.
• Heartbeats that are fast and irregular
• Constipation or diarrhoea on a regular basis
• Loss of weight
• Swings in mood
• Goiter is a swelling neck caused by an enlarged thyroid gland. It can sometimes make breathing and swallowing difficult.

Adults over the age of 60 may experience different symptoms than those who are younger. They may, for example, lose their appetite or withdraw from others. This is sometimes misdiagnosed as sadness or dementia.

What other issues might hyporthyroidism bring about?

If hyporthyroidism isn’t addressed, it can lead to a variety of major health issues.

• Blood clots, strokes, heart failure, and other heart disorders can all be caused by an irregular heartbeat.
• Graves’ ophthalmopathy is an eye illness. Double vision, light sensitivity, and eye pain are all possible side effects. It can cause eyesight loss in rare circumstances.
• Bone thinning and osteoporosis
• Women’s fertility issues
• Premature birth, low birth weight, high blood pressure throughout pregnancy, and miscarriage are all examples of pregnancy complications.

How do you know if you have hyporthyroidism?

Your doctor may use a variety of tools to make a diagnosis, including :
• Obtaining a medical history, as well as inquiring about symptoms
• A physical examination
• Thyroid tests, such as the T3 and T4 tests, are used to diagnose thyroid
• Blood testing for TSH, T3, T4, and thyroid antibodies
• Thyroid scans, ultrasounds, and radioactive iodine uptake tests are examples of imaging tests. After you swallow a little amount of radioactive iodine, a radioactive iodine uptake test evaluates how much radioactive iodine your thyroid absorbs from your blood.

What are the options for treating hyporthyroidism?

Medicines, radioiodine therapy, and thyroid surgery are all options for treating hyporthyroidism.

• Medicines Hyporthyroidism is treated with a variety of medications.
• Antithyroid drugs force your thyroid gland to produce less thyroid hormone. You will most likely need to take the medications for one to two years. You may need to take the medications for several years in some circumstances. This is the most basic treatment, although it is rarely a long-term solution.
• Beta blocker medications can help with symptoms including tremors, racing heart, and anxiousness. They act immediately and can make you feel better while you wait for other therapies to kick in.

• Radioiodine Hyporthyroidism is treated with therapy, which is a common and effective method. It entails swallowing radioactive iodine in the form of a pill or a liquid. This causes the thyroid gland’s cells that make thyroid hormone to slowly die. Other bodily tissues are unaffected. Almost everyone who has radioactive iodine therapy gets hypothyroidism later on. Because the thyroid hormone-producing cells have been killed, this is the case. Hypothyroidism, on the other hand, is less difficult to cure and generates fewer long-term health issues than hyperthyroidism.

• Surgery In rare circumstances, half or all of the thyroid gland is removed. It could be a viable choice for persons with large goitres or pregnant women who are unable to take antithyroid drugs. You will need to take thyroid medications for the rest of your life if you have your thyroid completely removed. Some patients who have had a portion of their thyroid removed will also require medication.

It’s critical not to consume too much iodine if you have hyperthyroidism. Consult your doctor about the foods, supplements, and medications you should avoid.