All You Need to Know About Thyroid

What is Thyroid?

The significance of the butterfly-like gland in your neck, known as the thyroid gland has been often ignored. The gland might be the cause of some of your common health issues, but you might have neglected it due to unawareness of its importance. Hence, we are presenting you a detailed blog on thyroid, its importance, types, and symptoms to prevent and treat the thyroid related disorders.

Acknowledge Its Importance

The thyroid gland plays important roles in regulating numerous metabolic processes, body energy, temperature, growth, and maturation of body tissues. The thyroid gland is considered as one of the hard-working glands in your body which generates the hormone called thyroxine. Women should get their thyroid checked as one out of fifty women to get thyroid, affecting either its structure or functioning.

Classification

Thyroid is a condition that affects your thyroid gland. Some thyroid related problems are goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland) and thyroid nodules. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are two types of the thyroid that is classified below in brief.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a stage under which thyroid hormones is underactive, means when your thyroid hormone production is too low than normal production. Some common causes that result in hypothyroidism are thyroid removal, iodine deficiency, Hashimoto’s disease ( an autoimmune disease), pituitary disease, and radioactive treatment for hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms

In hypothyroidism, you can experience weight gain, mental cloudiness, depression, menstrual changes, fatigue and weakness, fluid retention, muscle cramps, constipation, thinning hair, and lower heart rate can occur. Mild hypothyroidism may not have symptoms like this. At times, it’s even possible that symptoms are not recognized or mistaken as the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Moreover, symptoms vary among people. So, it’s better to get your thyroid checked by your doctor to avoid any worst scenario.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is a type of condition in which your thyroid gland overproduces hormones, also known as an overactive thyroid. Many of your body’s functioning speed up when thyroid hormones get overproduced. Though anyone can develop the condition, it’s more commonly diagnosed in women than men. These hormones speed up your metabolism. Some of the common causes that lead to hyperthyroidism include Graves’ disease, nodules in the gland and medications taken to treat hypothyroidism.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of hyperthyroidism include restlessness, agitation, tremors, anxiety, weight loss despite an increased appetite, difficulty in sleeping, sweating, intolerance to heat, rapid heart rate, and frequent bowel movements. Also, people diagnosed with hyperthyroidism often feel that they’re nervous or stressed. Hyperthyroidism generally progresses at a slow pace, but amongst younger age group the symptoms might develop quickly.

Over to you

Before your body functioning gets affected due to any type of thyroid, go and consult with your doctor, get your thyroid checked and follow up the medication seriously to control the condition and its consequences.