Think thyroid!

By on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 - 18:27

Thyroid related disorders are most common but are often undiagnosed. Shruthi Rao tells us how to identify the symptoms and get timely help

Kalpana, a 50-year-old singer, suffered from fatigue, extreme sleepiness, dry skin, and depression. Doctors assured her that it was menopause. But shortly, she found that her voice was getting very hoarse and deep. Worried, she went to specialists. After a lot of clinic-hopping, with some doctors telling her that she would never sing again, she finally went to a doctor who asked her to get a thyroid test done. The results showed that she was severely hypothyroid. She was immediately put on thyroxine supplements. Very soon, all her "menopause" symptoms had disappeared and her voice was back to normal.

Akhila, a student, was always hungry. She ate non-stop, but kept losing weight. She was sweaty and tired all day long, and suffered from loose bowels. Once, after severe palpitation, she checked her pulse rate and found that it was 160. Shocked, she went to the doctors who advised her to take a number of tests ranging from ECGs to abdominal scans. She got a clean bill of health everywhere. Finally, one doctor suggested checking her thyroid levels. They were very high. She was hyperthyroid. A brief course of treatment later, she was back to normal.

Both the above are true stories, and very typical situations.

Thyroid-related disorders are very common. In fact, in India, after heart and sugar diseases, thyroid disorders are the most widespread. An estimated 4 crore Indians suffer from thyroid-related disorders. In spite of being such a common affliction, thyroid diseases are misunderstood, and very often overlooked or misdiagnosed.

It is for this reason that January has been declared the Thyroid Awareness Month. In India, the Indian Thyroid Society (ITS) has named January as "Think Thyroid" month, to spread information about thyroid diseases not only among the public, but among doctors too. It aims to educate people on the importance of the thyroid gland, and about thyroid disorders. ITS is conducting camps over 50 towns and cities across India to reach more people, and to induce them to get themselves tested.

But wait – let's start at the beginning. What is the thyroid gland?

It is a small, butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck. It releases hormones that regulate the metabolism of the body. These hormones influence almost every organ system in the body.

In a nutshell, if the thyroid doesn't work properly, nor do you.

The most common thyroid disorder is hypothyroidism - an under active thyroid, and consequently too little thyroid hormones. It causes tiredness, depression, hair loss, weight gain, cramping, constipation, dry skin, heavy periods in women, and erectile dysfunction and loss of interest in sex in males.

Hypothyroidism constitutes about 88 percent of all thyroid disorders.

Hyperthyroidism is the condition of an overactive thyroid, resulting in excess thyroid hormones. The symptoms are sweatiness, nervousness, irritability, tremors, fast heart rate and palpitation, loose bowels, bulging of eyes, lighter periods in women, and erectile dysfunction and loss of interest in sex in males.

Other thyroid diseases are

* Goiter -- An enlarged thyroid – Usually a sign that the gland is overworking, but it is probably a failing thyroid, which is trying to do better.

* Thyroid Nodules -- Lumps in the thyroid gland – they may be overproducing thyroid hormones.

* Thyroid Cancer -- Malignant thyroid nodules or tissue.

* Thyroiditis -- Inflammation of the thyroid – can cause hormone levels to change, resulting in hypo or hyperthyroidism.

Women are more susceptible to develop thyroid problems. The risk is higher if -

- You have a history of thyroid disease

- You are a pregnant or a new mother

- You are a woman over 50

The critical periods of life where the risk of thyroid diseases increase, are at birth, during pregnancy (when it can affect the development of the foetus), after childbirth, during menopause, and in the senior years. More information on this here.

The symptoms of thyroid diseases are very similar to those of other diseases, and hence are prone to be ignored. For example, menopausal symptoms are very similar to hypothyroidism, and since hypothyroidism frequently sets in during menopause, it is very easy to ignore hypothyroidism. Similarly, the symptoms of post-partum thyroid disorders are frequently confused with post-partum depression, and largely ignored.

Thyroid diseases are not at all life-threatening. Once diagnosed and treated, you are as healthy as the next person! All that you need to do is get your thyroid and thyroxine levels checked periodically, and take the thyroxine supplements, if any, regularly.

If you, or somebody you know is suffering from problems similar to those listed above, then please get a test done immediately, and if you suspect a thyroid disorder, do approach an endocrinologist and get treated immediately. It is like getting a new lease of life!

More information:

Thyroid disease

Thyroid Awareness

Thyroid Awareness Month

Indian Thyroid Society

Thyroid Foundation of America

Shruthi Rao, is a Bangalore-based software engineer. She's right now on a break to take care of her 9 month old daughter. She has her own blog