Thyroid Disease: Important Facts You Must Know

The endocrine system contains a lot of glands; the biggest of these is the thyroid. The thyroid is located on the lower part of your neck. There are two important hormones that this gland produces. The first is the triiodothyronine or T3. The second is the thyroxine or T4. Both of these hormones play a big role on how the parts of the body perform their functions.

Some of these functions involve the manner in which you sleep, lose or gain weight, digestion of the food that you take, how you expend energy, and a lot more.  The bad thing is that people tend to ignore the initial signs and symptoms since they are quite confusing with that of other diseases.

Here are some of the things that you need to know about Autoimmune Thyroiditis:

• Selenium and Iodine keep your thyroid gland healthy. You can find iodine in foods like sesame seeds, garlic, spinach, seafood, and salt. Foods rich in selenium include soybeans, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, meat, and fish.

• Hypothyroidism or Hashimotos disease is a condition of the thyroid gland in which a reduced amount of hormones is produced. There are a lot of symptoms that accompany this condition. You can gain weight while going on a diet, muscle spasms, fatigue, feeling weak, loss of hair, dry skin all over, hot temperature preference, enlargement of the neck area, heavy menstrual release for women and more. Endocrinologists may prescribe the patient with hormone inducing thyroid medication which he has to take for the rest of his life.

• Hyperthyroidism is a condition of the thyroid gland that heightens the production of hormones. The most common symptom is loss of weight despite eating the right amount of food. Other symptoms are neck enlargement, hypertension, faster pulse rate, short monthly periods, excessive sweating, numerous bowel release, anxiety attacks, excessive shaking of hands, and more. Doctors may prescribe the patient with iodine medication or medication to treat hyperthyroid. There are medications that doctors can prescribe for excessive shaking and fast pulse rates.

• Symptoms like neck enlargement with some painful, inflamed lymph nodes, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing, and croaky voice may be signs of thyroid gland cancer. Doctors recommend performing surgical procedures in such cases to take out the thyroid gland or a piece of. After the surgery, patients are encouraged to go through therapy using radioactive iodine.

• There are factors that contribute to high risk affliction of Autoimmune Thyroiditis. The list includes your family’s history with thyroid disorders, Turners syndrome, Downs syndrome, history with type 1 diabetes, stress, and age. Because women are more susceptible to hormonal imbalance, they are more at risk of getting Hashimoto’s disease. It usually happens when they get pregnant, give birth, and experience menopause.

• The diagnosis of thyroid problems is done with the help of tests like the thyroid profile. It is a test wherein your thyroid hormones are stimulated. It is also called the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone or TSH test. When the test comes out with a high result, it means you have hypothyroidism. On the other hand, if the TSH shows a low number, you have hyperthyroidism.

• When you reach the age of 35, you need to have yourself tested for thyroid problems on a five year interval. But if symptoms such as the ones listed above manifest at any time, you need to have yourself tested more often.

• If you are suffering from a thyroid condition, you need to go for treatments immediately. The best thing for you to do is to follow the advice of your endocrinologist.

Thyroid problems are serious problems. It will certainly help if you seek treatment for this right away.