Your thyroid gland affects pretty much every part of your body. The hormones it secretes regulate your metabolism and your ability to tolerate heat or cold. Mention any family history of thyroid conditions , which will put you at much higher risk for developing a thyroid problem. Your doctor will run some labs to find out whether you might have hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism or another condition that can be addressed so you feel better.
Like a car, you can only drive with the pedal to the metal for so long before burning out. They can perform the appropriate testing and inform you of your options.
Early diagnosis and intervention is important as it can help make your treatment more successful. If left untreated, either condition can result in serious health problems. Causes Hyperthyroidism is often caused by: Graves disease Swollen thyroid Thyroid nodules As for hypothyroidism, your risk increases with age and women are three times more likely than men to have it.
Sabrina Rene, M. Hypothyroidism occurs when the gland is underactive. This can present itself at any age, but the risk increases as you get older, and it is most commonly triggered by genetics. Women are three times more likely than men to develop hypothyroidism. Therefore, it can be often confused with other conditions that cause fatigue. However, she says hypothyroidism is easy to test for with a simple screening called a thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH test.
Radiation exposure from cancer treatment. Unexplained weight gain or trouble losing weight. Dry skin. Carpal tunnel syndrome. Levothyroxine sodium tablets aka Synthroid can be taken once a day as a replacement hormone to help regulate thyroid levels. These tablets contain a synthetic hormone identical to thyroxine, the hormone that the thyroid gland produces naturally. A high TSH result, in this instance, means your pituitary gland is in overdrive, likely trying to compensate for an underactive thyroid gland.
The pituitary gland can kick into overdrive because of other factors, though, independent of the thyroid gland. The two other hormones your doctor may check include free-thyroxine T4 and total triiodothyronine T3. Low levels of any of these hormones indicate hypothyroidism, while high levels point to hyperthyroidism.
Subsequent diagnostic tests depend on what your doctor finds in your initial bloodwork as well as during a physical check of your thyroid. An enlarged thyroid gland may require an ultrasound to diagnose possible cysts.
A fine needle biopsy is sometimes used in conjunction with an ultrasound. This involves taking a small sample out of the cyst to screen it for cancer. Another method used to diagnose hyperthyroidism is called a radioactive iodine uptake test. This is used in conjunction with an ultrasound. First, the technician will have you take a capsule containing radioiodine.
A healthy thyroid gland takes up only the amount of iodine it needs. If images show that your thyroid takes up too much of the iodine, then you may have hyperthyroidism. The opposite is true of hypothyroidism. Treatment for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism differs. While the key to hypothyroidism treatment is to get your thyroid levels up, hyperthyroid treatment focuses on lowering hormone levels.
With hypothyroidism, lifelong use of medication is often required. It helps replace missing thyroxine T4 hormones in the body. Hyperthyroid treatment , on the other hand, may be temporary.
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