What is Hypothyroidism and What Are The Symptoms of Hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is a nasty condition that is becoming more and more common as time goes on. So, what is hypothyroidism and what are the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism is simply when the thyroid is producing an abnormally low amount of thyroid hormone, which can cause a multitude of complications and symptoms.

The reason this is bad news for someone's health is because this hormone helps regulate the metabolism in the body, as well as help in the digestive process. It makes perfect sense then, that one of the most obvious symptoms that is associated with hypothyroidism is a slower than normal metabolism.

It is thought that somewhere around five million or so Americans have hypothyroidism, but the numbers world-wide are unknown. The condition hits women more than men, and it is thought that as much as ten percent of women may suffer with the condition, even if it is only in a mild form, however the exact numbers are unknown.

There are a number of potential causes of hypothyroidism, which include iodine deficiency and where the problem is caused by autoimmune abnormalities.

It is unusual for hypothyroidism to be caused if the diet has sufficient iodine, and many people in industrialized nations will gain iodine from salt (it is added when salt is manufactured) and vegetables. So the majority of cases are likely to come from "autoimmune hypothyroidism".

Autoimmune hypothyroidism is when the bodies own defences attack and destroy thyroid gland cells, which stops the thyroid producing the normal amount of thyroid hormone.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a condition that is associated with autoimmune hypothyroidism and one of the symptoms is a goitre, which is a swelling of the thyroid gland, which can eventually be seen as a lump on the neck.

Another common cause of hypothyroidism is the removal of the entire thyroid gland during surgery. If you were having other problems with your thyroid gland, you might need to have it removed, or partially removed, and although that may cure other medical conditions.

The thyroid is a common spot for cancer to grow therefore forced hypothyroidism can be a better option than dealing with a malignant cancerous growth.

Sometimes, the doctor will only need to remove part of the thyroid if he suspects cancer, and the part of the thyroid that's left will be able to make enough hormones to stave off the onset of hypothyroidism, but not always.

Another way for a doctor to help treat and kill suspected cancer in the thyroid is with what is called radioactive iodine therapy. The doctor will inject the thyroid with iodine to kill part of the thyroid that's thought to be cancerous, but sometimes it will kill too much of the thyroid and hypothyroidism can occur.

A final cause of hypothyroidism that is less well known is when the thyroid gland is perfectly healthy but the pituitary gland isn't making enough hormone to instruct the thyroid to make more thyroid hormones. This can also result in hypothyroidism in some patients.

This article has answered the questions, what is Hypothyroidism?

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