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This condition is called hyperthyroidism. When the thyroid doesn't produce enough hormone, the body uses energy slower than it should. This condition is called hypothyroidism. There are many different reasons why either of these conditions might develop. Currently, about 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease.
When the pituitary gland, which is located in the center of the skull below the brain, senses either a lack of thyroid hormones or a high level of thyroid hormones, it will adjust its own hormone TSH and send it to the thyroid to tell it what to do. Learn what causes it and how it's treated. But if this condition is diagnosed within the first few months of life, the chances of normal development are excellent. There are many different reasons why either of these conditions might develop. Cushing's syndrome Pseudo-Cushing's syndrome sex hormones: Thyroid scintigraphy , in which the thyroid is imaged with the aid of radioactive iodine usually iodine , which does not harm thyroid cells, or rarely, iodine , [36] is performed in the nuclear medicine department of a hospital or clinic.
People of all ages and races can get thyroid disease. However, women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to have thyroid problems. There are several different causes of thyroid disease.
The following conditions cause hypothyroidism:. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Thyroid Disease Currently, about 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Learn what causes it and how it's treated.
Overview Diagnosis and Tests Management and Treatment. What is the thyroid? Hypothyroidism underactive thyroid is a condition in which your thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain crucial hormones. Hypothyroidism may not cause noticeable symptoms in the early stages. Over time, untreated hypothyroidism can cause a number of health problems, such as obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease. Accurate thyroid function tests are available to diagnose hypothyroidism. Treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone is usually simple, safe and effective once you and your doctor find the right dose for you.
The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism vary, depending on the severity of the hormone deficiency.
Diseases of the thyroid cause it to make either too much or too little of the hormone. Depending on how much or how little hormone your thyroid. Common thyroid disorders include Hashimoto's disease, Graves' disease, and goiter. Learn about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments of.
Problems tend to develop slowly, often over a number of years. At first, you may barely notice the symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as fatigue and weight gain. Or you may simply attribute them to getting older. But as your metabolism continues to slow, you may develop more-obvious problems. Although hypothyroidism most often affects middle-aged and older women, anyone can develop the condition, including infants.
Initially, babies born without a thyroid gland or with a gland that doesn't work properly may have few signs and symptoms.
When newborns do have problems with hypothyroidism, the problems may include:. As the disease progresses, infants are likely to have trouble feeding and may fail to grow and develop normally. They may also have:. When hypothyroidism in infants isn't treated, even mild cases can lead to severe physical and mental retardation. In general, children and teens who develop hypothyroidism have the same signs and symptoms as adults do, but they may also experience:.
See your doctor if you're feeling tired for no reason or have any of the other signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as dry skin, a pale, puffy face, constipation or a hoarse voice.
If you're receiving hormone therapy for hypothyroidism, schedule follow-up visits as often as your doctor recommends. Initially, it's important to make sure you're receiving the correct dose of medicine. And over time, the dose you need may change. A fine needle aspiration biopsy is used to take a sample of cells from the nodule and determine whether the nodule is cancerous.
Your doctor may do another biopsy and recommend radioactive iodine to shrink the nodules if it grows.
Cancerous nodules are pretty rare — according to the National Cancer Institute , thyroid cancer affects less than 4 percent of the population. The treatment your doctor recommends will vary depending on the type of tumor. Removing the thyroid through surgery is usually the treatment of choice. Radiation therapy is sometimes used with or without surgery. Chemotherapy is often required if the cancer spreads to other parts of the body.
Sometimes children are born with a thyroid problem. In other cases, surgery, disease, or treatment for another condition causes it.
The main symptom of a thyroid nodule in a child is a lump in the neck. The incidence is slightly higher in teens, with a rate of about 15 cases per million in to year-olds. In developing countries, hypothyroidism is often caused by iodine deficiency. However, thanks to the addition of iodine to table salt, this deficiency is rare in the United States.
You can set off an overactive thyroid by taking too much thyroid hormone. In rare cases, your thyroid can become overactive if you eat too many foods that contain iodine, such as table salt, fish, and seaweed. Though you may not be able to prevent thyroid disease, you can prevent its complications by getting diagnosed right away and following the treatment your doctor prescribes.
The connection between your thyroid and hair loss is worth considering if you're dealing with brittle, thinning hair. Here are the best blogs of that are sharing information and advice about thyroid disorders like hypothyroidism.
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