#MyFriendAlexa 2021: Post 2
Table of Contents
Introduction
Thyroid disorder is one of the most common diseases worldwide, almost 1/3rd of the population suffers from subclinical thyroid disorders. The prevalence of thyroid disease is 8% in women and 3% in men.
It’s a very important organ located in the front of the neck surrounding the trachea (windpipe). It gets enlarged in many thyroid diseases and most of the time it’s one of the most common symptoms bringing the patient to the doctor for assessment.
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What does the Thyroid gland do?
It’s responsible for managing the metabolic rate of the body. This means the thyroid decides how much energy should be used by our body.
Thyroid disorders would affect the whole body by altering the metabolic rate.
What happens in thyroid diseases?
In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland produces fewer hormones so the body functions slowly and in hyperthyroidism the body consumes energy faster since the metabolic rate is high.
Risk factors of developing thyroid disease:
- Have a family history of thyroid disease.
- Have a medical condition (these can include pernicious anaemia, type 1 diabetes, primary adrenal insufficiency, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome and Turner syndrome).
- Take a medication that’s high in iodine (amiodarone).
- Are older than 60, especially in women.
- Have had treatment for a past thyroid condition or cancer (thyroidectomy or radiation).
- High demand conditions like pregnancy.
What are the types of thyroid diseases?
- Hypothyroidism
- Hyperthyroidism
- Thyroid nodule (swelling)
- Thyroid cancer
- Thyroiditis
How do I know I have thyroid disease?
To confirm thyroid diseases investigations have to be done:
Blood investigations
- Thyroid Function Test for hypo/ hyperthyroidism
- Calcitonin marker of Medullary Carcinoma of Thyroid
- Thyroid peroxidase Antibody (TPO) to rule out autoimmune disease
- Anti-Thyroid Antibody for ruling out antibodies against thyroid
- Thyroglobulin for thyroiditis
Radiological investigations
- Ultrasound neck
- Radio-Iodine scan by Tc99/ I131
FNAC– Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology for determining the type of disease of the thyroid. It could detect the differences to a certain limit between:
- Multinodular Goitre
- Thyroiditis
- Thyroid cancers
- Thyroid nodules
How is thyroid swelling treated?
Not all types of thyroid swelling need surgery. After investigation, we determine the type of disease and then decide on the course of treatment.
- Medication: Hypothyroid/ Hyperthyroid without any underlying disease could be treated with thyroid stimulating medicine like Levothyroxine or anti thyroid medicines like methimazole/ propylthiouracil.
- Radioactive Iodine: for highly functional thyroid gland
- Surgery: Nodules/ carcinomas/ multinodular goitre/ suspected malignancies/ metastasis etc.
I’ve only discussed few basic things about Thyroid diseases in this post. This post is an introduction to thyroid gland disorders in consecutive posts of this series we’ll discuss the diseases in detail.
Sinister Signs in Thyroid Disease:
- Sudden enlargement of thyroid swelling
- Protusion of eye
- Pain in Thyroid swelling
- Breathing difficulty
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Disclaimer: This post is written as a part of Blogchatter’s My Friend Alexa 2021.
References:
- https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/768053-overview#a6
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8541-thyroid-disease
- https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/understanding-thyroid-problems-basics
- https://www.medicinenet.com/thyroid_disorders/article.htm#what_is_atenolol_how_is_atenolol_used
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/thyroid-disorders-in-women
Such an informative post
I’m happy to help
This is really eye opening and informative doc, thanks for sharing
I’m glad the article is of help to you
I’m glad you liked the post
I liked reading about the diagnosis and tests because I only knew about the thyroid profile blood test 🙂
many people have no idea about thyroid diseases so i’m glad you found the information helpful
Wonderfully explained about thyroid. I came to know few new thing which I didn’t know.
Very informative post! Since you are a doctor, it’s even more valuable. I will share this with my friends for sure.
I suffer from hypothyroidism and I’m glad I found this post.
I think everyone should have yearly tests to rule out any of these underlying factors. It’s important to check your health #MyepicaReads
Perfect article for a layman to understand about Thyroid. Kudos…for spreading the knowledge.
My mom suffers from thyroid for the last 30 years, and I know how bad it can be who suffers for such a long duration. Your post is well explained and has got all the required information.
Detailed post.
That’s an informative post. I know many woman who are suffering from Thyroid and taking medicine every day. Thanks for sharing details about this.
A very well written and informative post.
My father has thyroid and I could soo relate this post seeing him go through stress about it and the medications he is used to on a daily basis.. thanks for summarising it so I get a much Better picture of what it is all about.
My sister is suffering from Thyroid and after seeing her, I am little afraid of thyroid. Great information.
Yes, I do have Thyroid. This post is such an informative read and going to be very helpful, more so when it comes from a Dr.
This is a very informative post. I didn’t know about a few things before that I read here.
This was informative. Most thyroid cases I’ve known were treated with medication.
Insighful post. Thyroid has become a common health issue among women these days. Do write something like how to stay safe from it.Thanks!
I had some thyroid issue while I was pregnant the first time but not the second time. good post for those having such symptoms.
Thanks for such an insightful post and if this information is coming from Dr it adds to its credibility. Looking forward to know more.
We’re glad to help
God this is packed with a lot of information beyond i could know. much thanks for this
A very informative post. I had hyperthyroidism a long time back and am fully recovered now. I know it is genetic since it runs in the family.
We did not know about Thyroid problem until a family member got it. This post is very informative, thanks.
Thyroid problems go unnoticed by many, very informative post.
Thanks for the post with so much information…
Thyroid problem is really very big when it comes, thanks for sharing such details!!
I got thyroid issues after the birth of my daughter, one of the major causes these days. I feel taking stress has a huge impact
The series you have chosen for MyfriendAlexa are going to be helpful to many.
You have managed to explain in detail and yet made it so simple to understand
This is such a well-researched and comprehensive post on Thyroid health. #MyFriendAlexa #TinasPicks