Must know information about hypothyroidism

Posted By Suborna Fermi Posted on Mar 05, 2022

Hypothyroidism is a very common thyroid disorder, which takes place when your thyroid gland cannot fulfil the production of thyroid hormones as per your body’s need. The importance of thyroid hormones is significant, as they aid in controlling your weight, body temperature, nervous system, muscle strength, and how your body uses energy. Hence, it is important to understand the major causes and symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism symptoms may take years to develop and also depend on several factors. Symptoms might vary depending on the person, and on the severity of the disease. Some of the most common hypothyroidism symptoms are:

• Fatigue
• Unexpected weight gain
• Inflated sensitivity to cold
• Puffiness in the face
• Depression
• Stomach upset
• Increased cholesterol level
• Decreased heart rate
• Dry skin
• Thinning of hair
• Decreases memory power
• Muscle weakness
• Stiffness in the muscle

As these symptoms vary from person to person, hence, the only option to confirm whether it is caused by hypothyroidism is to take a TSH blood test.

4 Causes of hypothyroidism

As we have discussed earlier, hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does make a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones. These thyroid hormone’s insufficiency can be due to many reasons, some reasons are discussed below:

• Hashimoto’s disease: Sometimes, your body’s protector autoimmune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland, which can contribute to the insufficient production of thyroid hormones. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder, which is more common in women than men. This disorder causes chronic inflammation of the thyroid, and one of the major reasons for hypothyroidism in middle-aged women.
• Treatment for thyroid disorder: hyperthyroidism is a disorder, in which your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormones. Therefore, the treatment of hyperthyroidism helps to reduce the production of thyroid hormones. Sometimes, this treatment can cause too low thyroid hormone production permanently, which can be the cause of hypothyroidism.
• Surgical removal of any part of your thyroid gland: Some people with thyroid conditions such as thyroid cancer, thyroid nodules, Grave’s disease, and others might need to remove some part of thyroid gland, or the entire thyroid gland. This removal might cause hypothyroidism.
• Radiation therapy: if you have cancer of the neck or head, you might need radiation therapy. Radioactive iodine therapy slows down the thyroid hormone production.

Apart from all these causes, there are medications of heart disorder, psychological disorder, and cancer that can aid in developing hypothyroidism. Certain medicines, such as lithium, amiodarone, mitotane, and interleukin-2. However, hypothyroidism cannot be completely cured, but they can be controlled with certain treatments. Do not neglect any symptoms of hypothyroidism, if you are having symptoms of hypothyroidism, do consult with your doctor.