Thyroid Disease

''13 million Americans are currently being treated for thyroid dysfunction with as many as 25 million more who are undiagnosed.'' - Reference: Hospital Practice. January 15, 1995

Have you put on a little weight lately? Feeling a little fatigued? A bit forgetful or depressed? These could be a consequence of a number of things including menopause and excessive stress - or they could be symptoms of thyroid disorder. When your thyroid doesn't work properly, it can cause you to feel nervous or tired; make your muscles weak; cause weight gain or loss; impair your memory; and affect your menstrual flow. A thyroid disorder can also cause miscarriage and infertility.

Graves' disease is the most common cause of overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). According to the National Graves' Foundation about 13 million Americans -- most of them women -- are affected by a thyroid disease or disorder, and more than half of thyroid conditions remain undiagnosed.

Women are at least five times more likely to have thyroid dysfunction than are men, but often don't know it. Symptoms often are overlooked or mistaken for symptoms of other conditions. For example, women are at particularly high risk for developing thyroid disorders following childbirth. Symptoms such as fatigue and depression are common during this period, but these symptoms also may be indicators of thyroid disease.

What Your Thyroid Does

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland you can feel at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. The two lobes on each side of the Adam's apple are joined across the front of the windpipe, just below the voice box.

The thyroid gland is a manufacturing and storage facility for thyroid hormone, secreting two main hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyonine, into the bloodstream. These hormones stimulate all the cells in the body. The thyroid gland also secretes calcitonin which reduces the concentration of calcium in the blood.

Thyroid hormone influences the basal metabolic rate and body heat. It also helps maintain blood pressure; regulates tissue growth and development; is critical for skeletal and nervous system development and plays an important role in the development of the reproductive system.

Production of thyroid hormones is controlled by the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which is secreted by the pituitary gland. This control is modified by the hypothalamus which detects thyroid hormone levels in the blood and influences the secretion of TSH.

Symptoms of Thyroid Disorder

An underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, is the most common form of thyroid disease and can produce a wide range of health problems. Symptoms include:

• Weight gain or an inability to lose weight
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to cold
• Dry skin
• Hair dryness or hair loss
• Forgetfulness
• Muscle cramps
• Excess water retention
• Constipation
• Heavy menstrual periods

Hypothyroidism has also been associated with menstrual disorders, including fertility, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

An overactive thyroid gland, or hyperthyroidism, is the less common form of thyroid disease, but can also produce a wide range of health problems. Symptoms include:

• Weight loss or an inability to gain weight
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to heat
• Nervousness
• Insomnia
• Tremor or muscle weakness
• Heart palpitations
• Frequent bowel movements
• Light menstrual periods

Testing for Thyroid Disorders

Because there are so many different health problems associated with either an underactive or overactive thyroid gland, it is essential that basic thyroid function be tested regularly. The easiest way to do this is by testing for TSH. Easy to use home collection kits are now available for collecting a blood sample to measure TSH levels. Click here for a Thyroid Self Assessment test.

Treatment

Hormone therapy is generally the prescribed treatment for thyroid disorder. For more information about thyroid hormone treatments, click here.

For more information, we recommend contacting:

Thyroid Foundation of America
Boston, MA 02114-2698
Phone: 617-726-8500; 800-832-8321

Keep in mind that if you are on or thinking of starting Hormone Replacement Therapy, a functioning thyroid is critical, as hormone balance and thyroid function are interdependent.