Thyroid gland: when to sound the alarm?

Today, it is increasingly possible to find references to a problem that concerns the health of a large category of people – these are diseases of the thyroid gland. You can not guess that there are any deviations in her work. There are several varieties of this disease, and not all of them have external signs. The thyroid gland can either grow, then the goiter appears and does not manifest itself.

Causes of thyroid disease

Despite its small size, it is a very important organ that produces hormones without which the body cannot fully function. The thyroid gland is located on the neck and has the shape of a butterfly. Thyroxine is a hormone that it produces. Its level depends on how well another hormone functions, triiodothyronine. It produces the pituitary gland.

As shown by statistics, most often the reason why the thyroid gland ceases to function normally, is the lack of iodine. This is due to the fact that the population of most regions of Russia consumes few products containing this trace element.

If this happens, then   thyroid   the number of cells begins to change, the tissue expands and the swelling on the neck is visually visible. It can be evenly distributed or will be viewed only on one side.

Another cause of this disease is autoimmune disorders and inflammatory processes in the body. We should also mention the rare diseases of the thyroid gland and malignant tumors.

Thyroid gland and types of diseases

There are several types of disease:

  • hyperthyroidism;
  • hypothyroidism;
  • autoimmune thyroiditis;
  • basedovoy disease.

Symptoms

There is no age limit for this disease, symptoms can appear both during puberty and during menopause. The state of the thyroid gland and its activity also affects ovulation, therefore, with violations, temporary infertility may occur. The birth of a child can provoke deviations in her work – they occur in 7% of women. Symptoms are similar to those observed during menopause, so it is important to accurately diagnose the disease and begin treatment for the thyroid gland. Patients develop   depression, brittle nails and hair. Properly selected dose will help alleviate the patient’s condition.

Hyperthyroidism is caused by increased activity of the thyroid gland, it produces an excessive amount of hormones, which affects the metabolism, a person rapidly losing weight. Hormones are distributed uncontrollably throughout the body and affect it is not the best way. It is women who suffer from thyroid diseases most often, and the reasons for this are still unknown.

A situation where more hormones are produced than is required, sometimes it has an autoimmune nature. A person may suffer from various manifestations of this disease, and may be in the dark, that he is sick. The following symptoms are observed:

  • cardiopalmus;
  • irritability;
  • delayed menstruation;
  • diarrhea;
  • weight loss;
  • anemia;
  • sweating;
  • brittle nails and hair loss;
  • sleep disturbance.

In hypothyroidism, a sufficient amount of hormones is not produced, and the metabolic processes in the body slow down. This leads to the fact that the woman recovers, and regardless of nutrition and whether she is on a diet. The disease may occur after surgery, during inflammatory processes in the body, with uncontrolled use of drugs. Severe form is preceded by the following symptoms:

  • swelling;
  • dry skin;
  • coarsening of the skin and dry hair;
  • weakness;
  • fatigue;
  • body weight increases;
  • constipation;
  • problems in the intimate sphere.

Thyroid Treatment

Diagnostics

I must say that diagnosis in some cases is difficult, especially for middle-aged people. The fact is that in young patients the symptoms are usually clearly expressed, and they go to the doctor with complaints. On average and old age, patients often do not pay attention to minor changes, they do not carry out treatment of the thyroid gland, and the disease progresses. If there are suspicions, then to identify changes in the size of the glands are examining the neck with your fingers. If this is not enough, then sent for ultrasound, blood tests are prescribed. An ultrasound will determine the size of the nodular formations, their density, as these may be cysts filled with fluid. It is important to accurately describe everything, even, at first glance, minor complaints, since the doctor must develop a general picture of the patient’s condition, only then the treatment of the thyroid gland will be effective.

Prevention

Prevention   will help reduce the chances of getting sick. It is necessary to correctly calculate your diet, eat a balanced diet, especially if a woman is expecting a child. This indicator is also important for teenagers. The intake of substances containing iodine can only harm those who have a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, so it is necessary to establish the diagnosis accurately. If there are those in the family who have had problems with the thyroid gland, then it is worthwhile to get tested regularly. It is necessary to establish exactly what deviations in the work of this important organ for the body are observed, only then can the treatment of the thyroid gland be successful.

If you prescribe drugs that increase the amount of iodine in the body, it will aggravate the situation if the patient has hyperthyroidism. Only a professional doctor is able to determine the extent of the impairment and which drugs are necessary for the patient. If the nodes reached 1 cm, then constant monitoring is required. Nodes can be “hot”: they do not regenerate a malignant tumor. “Cold” – the most dangerous, because they are the ones that cause concern to the attending physician, because they can be malignant. Their presence requires additional research, respectively, usually prescribe a biopsy.

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