Have you had your thyroid checked?
Author: Dr. Helen O’Neill
The thyroid gland is an incredibly important gland controlling our protein synthesis, the body’s sensitivity to hormones, our use of energy and our metabolism. This large endocrine gland (a gland which secrete hormones directly into the blood) consists of two connected lobes in the back of the neck and sits below the Adam’s apple (laryngeal prominence). The hormones it secretes regulate the growth function of many systems in the body. Hormonal output from the thyroid is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). The thyroid is also responsible for calcium homeostasis through the production of calcitonin.
Why should you check your thyroid? Very often the symptoms associated with an under active thyroid (hypothyroidism) are easily missed or confused for other things. When the thyroid does not produce enough hormones, the symptoms are weight gain, tiredness and depression. Different blood tests can detect hypothyroidism, such as a T4 test which measures the amount of T4 (thyroxine) that the thyroid is being signaled to make and a thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH is a blood test that measures the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone in your blood. These will be done together.
An underactive thyroid can often be treated successfully by taking hormone tablets daily to replace the hormones your thyroid is not making.
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) is a relatively common condition that occurs when too much thyroid hormone is produced in the body. These excess levels of thyroid hormones can speed up the body’s metabolism, triggering a range of symptoms, such as nervousness or anxiety, hyperactivity which can lead to weight loss and a physical swelling of the thyroid gland, known as goitre.
The severity, frequency and range of symptoms can vary from person to person.
The most widely used treatments for an overactive thyroid gland are:
- thionamides – a group of medications, including carbimazole and methimazole, that stop the thyroid gland producing too much thyroid hormone
- radioiodine treatment – a radioactive substance called iodine that helps shrink the thyroid gland, reducing its activity (the radiation contained in iodine is a very low dose and does not pose a threat to health)
- surgery – in a small number of cases surgery may be required to remove some or all of the thyroid gland, particularly if there is a large goitre.
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