Thyroid disease: what you need to know?
Our life is connected with constant stress. Stress, weakness, insomnia and fatigue are familiar symptoms, right? Did you know that such symptoms can be the cause of a rather serious illness? So how can you understand whether this is a simple overwork and you just need to rest, or the work of such a vital organ as the thyroid gland is disrupted in the body?
A little about the thyroid gland
The thyroid gland produces hormones that affect almost all metabolic processes in the human body. Dysfunctions of its function can be different, from goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland in size), which does not require any special treatment, and ending with oncology. The most common abnormalities in the functioning of the thyroid gland are disorders in the production of thyroid hormones. Insufficient production of these vital hormones leads to a condition called hypothyroidism, and excessive production leads to hyperthyroidism.
Women are more susceptible to thyroid diseases. Thyroid pathology can turn a balanced and self-confident woman into a fury that everyone around her will seek to avoid. In men, the thyroid gland is more obedient and much less likely to malfunction. This is not surprising, because in men, all internal organs work according to a more stable schedule, beating out of the schedule except for March 8.
But with the female body, everything is much more serious. Menstruation, childbirth and childbirth, breastfeeding, menopause - all these processes significantly affect the functioning of the thyroid gland.
Despite its small size (weight about 25 g), the thyroid gland is involved in almost all processes in the body. The condition of the skin and hair, the development of the female breast, the ability to become pregnant, successfully bear and give birth to a healthy child largely depends on her work.
The hormones produced by the thyroid gland affect our body weight, appetite and sleep, mental and physical ability, heart function, and bone strength. The thyroid gland also affects the functioning of the immune system and the development of the mechanisms of the aging process.
Causes of thyroid disease
In about 50-60% of cases, the pathology of the thyroid gland is heredity. More often, of course, it is not the disease itself that is inherited, but a predisposition to it. Under the influence of certain environmental factors, the disease may eventually make itself felt, or it may never manifest itself.
Hyperthyroidism
All types of hyperthyroidism are associated with overproduction of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism itself has several subspecies:
- Graves' disease. In this case, the production of too many hormones is associated with an autoimmune process. The cause of this disease is unknown, just the body's system begins to attack the tissues of the thyroid gland, forcing it to produce an excess amount of hormones.
- Toxic adenoma. In the tissues of the thyroid gland, nodes are formed that lead to increased production of hormones, disrupting the general balance of the body. Sometimes a goiter consists of several such nodes.
- Subacute thyroiditis. As a result of inflammation of the thyroid tissue, excess hormones "leak", resulting in transient hyperthyroidism. This condition usually lasts from several weeks to several months.
- Thyroid cancer or dysfunction of the pituitary gland. Rarely enough, these conditions can also cause hyperthyroidism.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is the opposite of hyperthyroidism and is caused by inadequate production of thyroid hormones. A decrease in hormone levels leads to a decrease in energy in the body and overall activity. This is due to the fact that energy in the body is produced with the participation of a certain amount of thyroid hormones. There are the following types of hypothyroidism:
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system destroys thyroid tissue. As a result, the affected tissue dies, the production of hormones stops.
- Removal of the thyroid gland. During the treatment of hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland can be completely removed or chemically destroyed.
- Excessive iodine intake. Some drugs used to treat colds or sinus diseases, some contrast agents used in diagnostic and X-ray examinations, some cardiac drugs (amiodarone) cause excessive iodine to enter the body. If a person has a predisposition to thyroid diseases, then sometimes this can cause hypothyroidism.
- Lithium treatment. Taking lithium medications also puts you at risk of hypothyroidism.
If left untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to myxedema coma, a potentially dangerous condition that requires immediate hormone administration.
Hypothyroidism is especially dangerous for newborns and young children. An unnoticed shortage of thyroid hormones in the body in time can cause dwarfism (growth retardation) and cretinism (mental retardation). That is why, immediately after birth, the level of thyroid hormones is determined in the child's hospital. It is very important to start treatment as early as possible.
The following factors can be the reason for the development of hypothyroidism in children:
- violation in the development of the thyroid gland;
- defect in pituitary function;
- congenital absence of the thyroid gland.
Infants with hypothyroidism tend to have poor appetite and low activity, and are particularly prone to sleep.
Thyroid cancer
This disease is not very common. Nodules in the thyroid gland are malignant in about 10% of cases. In addition, such nodules can be present in the thyroid gland for many years before being considered malignant.
It has been noted that people who have previously undergone radiation therapy to the neck and head (for example, in the treatment of acne) are at greater risk of developing thyroid cancer.
I would also like to add that thyroid cancer has extremely favorable prognosis. In most cases, it is successfully cured and a person after this disease has many chances to live a long and happy life.
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