In this era, maximum woman are likely to suffer from the thyroid problems right after the pregnancy and after the menopause. Before going on the detailed information about this problem, we should know what thyroid is? Basically, thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland found at the base of our neck, just below our Adam's apple. In fact, this gland makes thyroid hormone which travels in our blood to all parts of your body. The thyroid hormone controls our body's metabolism in many ways, including how fast we burn calories and how fast our heart beats. There are three types of thyroid problems and they are:
Among these three, hypothyroidism is very common condition and affects more women than men. Hypothyroidism is most often due to an autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s. Autoimmune disease is when the body begins attacking itself, which results in the destruction of tissue. Basically, hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland is underactive and does not produce enough thyroid hormone. This problem is likely to slow down many of your body's functions, like your metabolism. However, the symptoms of hypothyroidism is likely to develop slowly and often over several years. At first, you may feel tired and sluggish. Later, you may develop other signs and symptoms such as
Apart from the signs and symptoms, it is very important to the causes of hypothyroidism. The main causes of hypothyroidism are
Autoimmune disease
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Autoimmune disorders occur when your immune system produces antibodies that attack your own tissues. Sometimes this process involves your thyroid gland. However, scientists are not sure why this happens, but it is likely to be a combination of factors, such as your genes and an environmental trigger. Thus, these antibodies are likely to affect the thyroid's ability to produce hormones.
Pituitary disorder
A relatively rare cause of hypothyroidism is the failure of the pituitary gland to produce enough thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) usually because of a benign tumor of the pituitary gland.
Medications
There are number of medications which can contribute to hypothyroidism. One such medication is lithium, which is used to treat certain psychiatric disorders. If you are taking medication, ask your doctor about its effect on your thyroid gland.
Iodine deficiency
The trace mineral iodine which is found primarily in seafood, seaweed, plants grown in iodine-rich soil and iodized salt. Iodine is essential for the production of thyroid hormones. Minimum intake of iodine can lead to hypothyroidism and too much iodine in take can worsen hypothyroidism in people who already have the condition. In some parts of the world, iodine deficiency is common but the addition of iodine to table salt has virtually eliminated this problem.
Pregnancy
Some women develop hypothyroidism during or after pregnancy because they produce antibodies to their own thyroid gland. If it is left untreated then hypothyroidism increases the risk of miscarriage, premature delivery and preeclampsia, a condition that causes a significant rise in a woman's blood pressure during the last three months of pregnancy. It can also seriously affect the developing fetus.
Radiation therapy
Radiation used to treat cancers of the head and neck. Therefore, such therapy can affect your thyroid gland and may lead to hypothyroidism.
Thyroid surgery
It is seen that people are going for thyroid surgery. Thus, removing all or a large portion of your thyroid gland can diminish or halt hormone production. In that case, you will need to take thyroid hormone for life.
Over-response to hyperthyroidism treatment
People who produce too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) are often treated with radioactive iodine or anti-thyroid medications. The goal of these treatments is to get thyroid function back to normal. However, sometimes, correcting hyperthyroidism can end up lowering of thyroid hormone production and thus resulting in permanent hypothyroidism.
If hypothyroidism is left untreated then it can lead to serious problems both physically and mentally. So if the condition is diagnosed within the first few months of life then there are excellent chances of normal development.