Your thyroid is one of your body's most important glands. 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.
About 13 million Americans—more of them women than men—are affected by a thyroid disease or disorder, according to the National Graves' Foundation. In fact, an estimated one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder at some time in her life.
Women are five to eight times more likely to have thyroid dysfunction than men, but most don't know they have it. Women often overlook their symptoms or mistake them 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 are also symptoms of thyroid disease.
Thus, more than half of thyroid conditions remain undiagnosed, according to the Thyroid Foundation of America.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland you can feel at the base of your neck, just below your larynx (voice box). Two lobes (the "wings" of the butterfly) fit on either side of your windpipe.
The thyroid gland manufactures and stores thyroid hormone (TH), often referred to as the body's metabolic hormone. Among other actions, TH stimulates enzymes that combine oxygen and glucose, a process that increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body heat production. The hormone also helps maintain blood pressure, regulates tissue growth and development and is critical for skeletal and nervous system development. It also plays an important role in the development of the reproductive system.
The thyroid gland can malfunction in one of three ways:
It can release too little TH, resulting in a condition known as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
It can release too much TH, resulting in a condition known as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
Its tissue can overgrow, resulting in a nodule, a small lump in part of the gland. Most nodules are harmless growths, but some are cancerous. In fact, according to the American Thyroid Association, about one in 10 thyroid nodules are cancerous. And the National Cancer Institute estimates that about one percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year are thyroid cancers.
Hypothyroidism:When too little TH is released, the body's metabolic rate decreases, and the body slows down. Hypothyroidism often goes undiagnosed because its symptoms are often mistaken for or attributed to other conditions. Symptoms include:
fatigue
depression
low body temperature
weight gain
dry or itchy skin
thin, dry hair/hair loss
puffy face, hands and feet
decreased taste and smell
slow heart rate
constipation
poor memory
trouble with concentration
hoarseness/husky voice
irregular or heavy menstruation
muscle aches
infertility
high cholesterol
goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hypothyroidism can occur spontaneously, develop during or after pregnancy or after treatment for hyperthyroidism. You can be born with it or it can be caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the leading cause of hypothyroidism.
Named for the Japanese health care professional who first described it in detail, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system attacks the body's healthy tissues instead of fighting off invading bacteria or viruses. In this case, the immune system produces antibodies to attack the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign substance that needed to be destroyed. The resulting damage leads to reduced production of TH.
Hyperthyroidism:When too much TH is released, the body's metabolic rate increases, and your metabolism speeds up. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:
nervousness/irritability
weight loss
fast/irregular heart rate
heat intolerance/increased perspiration
changes in appetite
sleep disturbances (such as insomnia)
muscle weakness
trembling hands
more frequent bowel movements
shorter and scantier menstrual flow
exophthalmos (bulging eyes)
goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hyperthyroidism can be caused by nodules composed of thyroid cells that produce TH without regard to the body's need. It can also develop during or after pregnancy and may be caused by Graves' disease. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism may also result from overtreatment of hypothyroidism with synthetic TH or from thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid gland, which leads to an overproduction of TH.
Graves' disease, another autoimmune condition, is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism, accounting for 85 percent of hyperthyroidism cases. Graves' disease differs from Hashimoto's thyroiditis in that the antibodies turn the thyroid on, causing the thyroid gland to enlarge and overproduce TH. Other antibodies may also attack eye muscle tissue and the skin on the front of the lower leg. Graves' disease was named for Robert Graves, an Irish health care professional who first discussed this form of hyperthyroidism, but it also goes by the name diffuse toxic goiter. It is a completely treatable disease and is rarely fatal.
Thyroid nodules:Ranging from as small as a millimeter to as large as several inches, thyroid nodules themselves don't represent illness. In fact, it is estimated one in 10 Americans will develop a thyroid nodule at some point in their lives. Nodules do, however, indicate an underlying problem with the thyroid and should be evaluated if they are discovered.
The majority of nodules are benign discrete clumps of thyroid cells, which don't function like normal thyroid tissue. Other nodules turn out to be simple cysts. However, there is a slight chance that a thyroid nodule is cancerous—about 10 percent of nodules are cancerous—so it is important to have a health care professional assess all growths.
While most nodules have no symptoms, are never detected and are harmless, some can be large enough to press against the windpipe and cause difficulty swallowing or a cough. A nodule can also become overactive, suppressing the rest of the gland and causing hyperthyroidism.
About 13 million Americans—more of them women than men—are affected by a thyroid disease or disorder, according to the National Graves' Foundation. In fact, an estimated one in eight women will develop a thyroid disorder at some time in her life.
Women are five to eight times more likely to have thyroid dysfunction than men, but most don't know they have it. Women often overlook their symptoms or mistake them 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 are also symptoms of thyroid disease.
Thus, more than half of thyroid conditions remain undiagnosed, according to the Thyroid Foundation of America.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland you can feel at the base of your neck, just below your larynx (voice box). Two lobes (the "wings" of the butterfly) fit on either side of your windpipe.
The thyroid gland manufactures and stores thyroid hormone (TH), often referred to as the body's metabolic hormone. Among other actions, TH stimulates enzymes that combine oxygen and glucose, a process that increases your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body heat production. The hormone also helps maintain blood pressure, regulates tissue growth and development and is critical for skeletal and nervous system development. It also plays an important role in the development of the reproductive system.
The thyroid gland can malfunction in one of three ways:
It can release too little TH, resulting in a condition known as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
It can release too much TH, resulting in a condition known as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
Its tissue can overgrow, resulting in a nodule, a small lump in part of the gland. Most nodules are harmless growths, but some are cancerous. In fact, according to the American Thyroid Association, about one in 10 thyroid nodules are cancerous. And the National Cancer Institute estimates that about one percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year are thyroid cancers.
Hypothyroidism:When too little TH is released, the body's metabolic rate decreases, and the body slows down. Hypothyroidism often goes undiagnosed because its symptoms are often mistaken for or attributed to other conditions. Symptoms include:
fatigue
depression
low body temperature
weight gain
dry or itchy skin
thin, dry hair/hair loss
puffy face, hands and feet
decreased taste and smell
slow heart rate
constipation
poor memory
trouble with concentration
hoarseness/husky voice
irregular or heavy menstruation
muscle aches
infertility
high cholesterol
goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hypothyroidism can occur spontaneously, develop during or after pregnancy or after treatment for hyperthyroidism. You can be born with it or it can be caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the leading cause of hypothyroidism.
Named for the Japanese health care professional who first described it in detail, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system attacks the body's healthy tissues instead of fighting off invading bacteria or viruses. In this case, the immune system produces antibodies to attack the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign substance that needed to be destroyed. The resulting damage leads to reduced production of TH.
Hyperthyroidism:When too much TH is released, the body's metabolic rate increases, and your metabolism speeds up. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:
nervousness/irritability
weight loss
fast/irregular heart rate
heat intolerance/increased perspiration
changes in appetite
sleep disturbances (such as insomnia)
muscle weakness
trembling hands
more frequent bowel movements
shorter and scantier menstrual flow
exophthalmos (bulging eyes)
goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hyperthyroidism can be caused by nodules composed of thyroid cells that produce TH without regard to the body's need. It can also develop during or after pregnancy and may be caused by Graves' disease. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism may also result from overtreatment of hypothyroidism with synthetic TH or from thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid gland, which leads to an overproduction of TH.
Graves' disease, another autoimmune condition, is the leading cause of hyperthyroidism, accounting for 85 percent of hyperthyroidism cases. Graves' disease differs from Hashimoto's thyroiditis in that the antibodies turn the thyroid on, causing the thyroid gland to enlarge and overproduce TH. Other antibodies may also attack eye muscle tissue and the skin on the front of the lower leg. Graves' disease was named for Robert Graves, an Irish health care professional who first discussed this form of hyperthyroidism, but it also goes by the name diffuse toxic goiter. It is a completely treatable disease and is rarely fatal.
Thyroid nodules:Ranging from as small as a millimeter to as large as several inches, thyroid nodules themselves don't represent illness. In fact, it is estimated one in 10 Americans will develop a thyroid nodule at some point in their lives. Nodules do, however, indicate an underlying problem with the thyroid and should be evaluated if they are discovered.
The majority of nodules are benign discrete clumps of thyroid cells, which don't function like normal thyroid tissue. Other nodules turn out to be simple cysts. However, there is a slight chance that a thyroid nodule is cancerous—about 10 percent of nodules are cancerous—so it is important to have a health care professional assess all growths.
While most nodules have no symptoms, are never detected and are harmless, some can be large enough to press against the windpipe and cause difficulty swallowing or a cough. A nodule can also become overactive, suppressing the rest of the gland and causing hyperthyroidism.
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