What Is Hypothyroidism 

Hypothyroidism is a health problem that occurs where there’s not enough thyroid hormone in your bloodstream, it affects your metabolism and slows it down. Hypothyroidism happens when your thyroid does not release or create enough typhoid hormone into your body. 

Hypothyroidism is popularly known as underactive thyroid.

Hypothyroidism is the opposite meaning of  hyperthyroidism, where your thyroid produces more than enough thyroid hormone.

Hypothyroidism Symptom

Hypothyroidism comes with several symptoms and signs among adults and children. These are the most common signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism.

• Fatigue
• Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
• Pain, stiffness or swelling in your joints
• Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
• Thinning hair
• Slowed heart rate
• Hoarseness
• Muscle weakness
• Elevated blood cholesterol level
• Depression
• Impaired memory
• Enlarged thyroid gland (goiter)
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Constipation
• Dry skin
• Weight gain
• Puffy face

Children can also develop hypothyroidism and they will have the same sign and symptoms like adults but they may experience additional symptoms like.

• Poor growth, under development that result in short stature
• Delayed development of permanent teeth
• Delayed puberty
• Poor mental development
• Brain problem.

You may experience any of these health problems if you treat hypothyroidism at the right time.

Heart Problems

Hypothyroidism is associated with heart failure, heart attack, and other heart problems to avoid any of these heart problems you need to get medical treatment immediately hypothyroidism diagnosed.

Mental Health Issues

Depression is one of the major symptoms of hypothyroidism, if you don’t get quick medical attention it may become severe.

Brain malfunction, short memory, and other pain and mental issues.

 

Birth Defects

Women that are living with hypothyroidism, may give birth to a baby with higher risk of birth defects compared to babies that are born by healthy mothers.

Children that are born by mothers with hypothyroidism may develop several growth and mental problems.

You need to consult your doctor immediately if you’re experiencing any of these signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. So that your doctor can run the necessary test to confirm if there’s not enough thyroid hormone in your bloodstream.

Early treatment is very important when it comes to hypothyroidism because it will reduce the pain and impact on your health and body system. If you are receiving hormone therapy for hypothyroidism after being diagnosed make sure you follow your doctor’s instructions and visit the hospital at the right time.

It is very important to take all the drugs at the right time so that you will be able to treat hypothyroidism easily and quickly.

Hypothyroidism Causes

There are several causes of hypothyroidism, but I will mention the common and major causes of hypothyroidism

Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease is one of the major causes of hypothyroidism, it is a health disorder that is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Autoimmune disorders happen

when your immune system produces antibodies that attack your tissues.

In some cases the process also involves your thyroid gland.

 

Thyroid surgery

Thyroid surgery can also cause Hypothyroidism because removing a large part of your thyroid gland have huge impact on your hormone and it may diminish or halt hormone production.

 

Radiation therapy

Radiation can also cause hypothyroidism after it has been used to treat cancer cells of your neck or head. It may affect your thyroid gland in the process and it may cause hypothyroidism.

Medications

Several medications like lithium that are used to treat psychiatric disorders and other diseases can cause hypothyroidism. That is why it is very important to consult your doctor before taking any drug, so that you won’t experience any side effects that may affect your thyroid gland.

Risk Factor Of Hypothyroidism

There are numerous risk factor of Hypothyroidism, but these are the most common risk

• Hypothyroidism affects women the most.

• It affect old people especially those above 60 years of age

• If any of your family members are living with thyroid disease, then you are at high risk of hypothyroidism because it spreads through family history.

• You are at high risk of hypothyroidism if you are living with an autoimmune disease, like type 1 diabetes or celiac disease.

• People that had thyroid surgery are also at higher risk of hypothyroidism.

• Pregnant women are also at risk of hypothyroidism likewise, women that delivered a baby within six months.

Hypothyroidism Treatment

When it comes to treatment of hypothyroidism, there are numerous processes that are involved.

Hypothyroidism is a disease that can be controlled if you continue to take your drugs, doctors focus on supplying the thyroid hormone so that they can control it.

Doctors help to replace the amount of hormone of thyroid that your body no longer makes, one of the common medications that is commonly used is levothyroxine. It is very important to see your doctor from time to time and follow all the necessary instructions so that you’ll be able to treat hypothyroidism without any health complications in the process.

Hypothyroidism can also be treated by

Iodine And Nutrition

Synthetic Thyroxine