Stick Your Neck Out for a Thyroid Check

Who are these conditions most likely to affect?
Thyroid diseases, in general, are more common in women than they are in men. They are more common right after pregnancy. They are more common in older people. Equally important is one's family history. If people in your family have an overactive or an underactive thyroid, then you would be considered at higher risk. So, knowing if your family members have had thyroid disease and making sure your doctor knows that is very helpful.

What are some of the major symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland?
Hyperthyroidism tends to stimulate the system in a number of ways: it causes rapid heartbeat, tremor of the hands, sweatiness of the skin and anxiety. Too much thyroid hormone can make the muscles weak, and, over a longer period of time, it can affect the bones and increase one's likelihood of developing osteoporosis. Too much thyroid hormone also affects hormonal status in terms of the menstrual cycle and the ability to bear children. It leads to less frequent menstrual periods, and it decreases the likelihood of being able to get pregnant.

What are the major symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland?
The principle symptom of hypothyroidism is fatigue, or lethargy, and a slowing down of one's mental processes. It affects people's mental alertness and their general strength and stamina. It also generally causes rougher, dry and thickened skin and dry hair. People with an underactive thyroid, oftentimes, will have high cholesterol levels. It can also cause depression and weight gain.

How are these conditions diagnosed?
Before you can diagnose these conditions, you have to suspect them. These symptoms are rather nonspecific, so it is a very good idea for the physician to test the thyroid, and that is very easily done by a simple blood test called the TSH test. TSH stands for thyroid-stimulating hormone, and it is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It is the hormone that regulates the amount of thyroid activity, so when your thyroid blood levels go down, the TSH goes up. And when the TSH goes up, it stimulates the thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormone. It's kind of like your thermostat for thyroid hormone. A normal TSH is generally between 0.5 and 3.5.

When I highly suspect someone has a thyroid problem, I might do a TSH test and a test to measure blood levels of the thyroid hormone with a T3 (triiodothyronine) and a T4 (thyroxine) test. T3 and T4 are two different types of thyroid hormone that the thyroid gland releases. I also do a physical exam and a thyroid scan or ultrasound to look for lumps or cysts on the gland. Some nodules may be producing too much thyroid hormone, and some might need to be biopsied to see if they are cancerous or benign.

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