Today, thyroid diseases in women are in third place in terms of frequency of occurrence and affect the beautiful half of humanity at any age. Men suffer from thyroid diseases much less often. This is due to the peculiarities of the nervous system – women are more emotional, which leads to depression and stress. It affects fluctuations in hormonal levels due to pregnancy, the menstrual cycle, menopause.
What is the thyroid gland responsible for?
Deviations in the work of the thyroid gland in women can lead to difficulties in conceiving a child, carrying it, or infertility. They are often inherited.
The thyroid gland produces certain hormones (thyroxine – T4 and triiodothyronine – T3), which are actively involved in the metabolic processes of the human body. The growth of the fetus, the condition of bone tissues, skin, hair and nails, the nervous, cardiovascular and immune systems, the correctness of metabolic processes in the body, mental and physical development, the condition of the skin, hair and nails depend on them. Lack or excess of these hormones leads to various diseases.
Note! Thyroid disease affects women of all ages.
There are the following diseases of the thyroid gland:
- Hypothyroidism.
- Hyperthyroidism.
- Goiter.
- Thyroiditis (acute, chronic and adolescent forms) or inflammation of the thyroid gland.
- Graves’ disease.
- Thyroid cancer.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is characterized by a lack of thyroid hormones. There are three forms:
- congenital, when signs appear from birth;
- primary, when abnormalities in the functioning of the thyroid gland occur due to iodine deficiency, inflammatory diseases or chronic infections;
- secondary – with deviations in the work of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland or after brain injuries.
Hypothyroidism affects the age group from 20 to 40 years.
Typical symptoms in women:
- fatigue, lethargy, decreased concentration, low performance;
- a state of depression, depression;
- weight gain;
- violation of the menstrual cycle;
- headache;
- dryness of the skin;
- increased pressure, decreased heart rate;
- change in cholesterol levels.
Hypothyroidism can be easily attributed to simple malaise and fatigue, it can be confused with other diseases such as hypertension, cervical osteochondrosis, cerebral atherosclerosis.
In the treatment of the disease in women, it is important to eat right, eating foods high in protein and reducing the intake of fats and carbohydrates.
Until recently, it was believed that iodine preparations, in particular triiodothyronine, were effective in the treatment of hypothyroidism. But recently, doctors refuse to use such drugs, as they lead to hardening of the tissues of the thyroid gland.
With a lack of thyroid hormones, they are replenished with special drugs that are taken for life. It is impossible to arbitrarily stop taking medications – this is stress for the body, and the consequences can be very deplorable.
Hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis
Hyperthyroidism is a disease of the thyroid gland, the opposite of hypothyroidism, that is, an excess of thyroid hormones – thyroxine and triiodothyronine.
Primary thyrotoxicosis is characterized by changes in the thyroid gland; in the secondary, the work of the pituitary gland is disrupted; in the tertiary, the work of the hypothalamus is disrupted. Women suffer from hyperthyroidism 10 times more often than men, the age category is from 20 to 50 years.
With hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, the whole body suffers, it works in an extreme mode, but especially the heart and blood vessels. If timely measures are not taken to treat hyperthyroidism, a significant excess of thyroid hormones can lead to coma and death.
Signs of the disease:
- a state of nervousness, constant anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbance, excitability, manifestations of aggression, tremor of the hands and even the whole body;
- development of osteoporosis;
- reduced concentration of attention;
- weight loss;
- increased heart rate, arrhythmia, tachycardia;
- skin moisture, increased sweating;
- weakness, shortness of breath, feeling of lack of air;
- loss of vision, bulging eyes, lacrimation, swelling of the eyelids;
- thinning and hair loss;
- liver enlargement.
In addition, the thyroid gland increases in size, which makes it possible to visually determine the disease.
Treatment of the disease is carried out by an endocrinologist, whether it is drug therapy or surgery.
Basedow’s disease
This is an autoimmune disease. Its other name is Graves’ disease, Flayani ‘s disease , diffuse toxic goiter. It is characterized by an enlarged thyroid gland and an excess of iodine-containing hormones.
The causes of occurrence are various infections, stress, mental disorders, hormonal disruptions, traumatic brain injuries. In this case, the thyroid cells are attacked by antibodies produced by lymphocytes, and the thyroid gland is destroyed.
In response, the body significantly increases the production of hormones. The number of gland cells increases, their hypertrophy and the growth of thyroid tissue volume occur. Hereditary predisposition also takes place.
The main signs of the disease are:
- weight loss;
- malfunctions of the nervous system, mental disorders;
- increased heart rate;
- bulging eyes.
The first signs of a mild form of the disease are redness and a characteristic shine of the eyes, lacrimation, photophobia. In the future, this can lead to partial or complete loss of vision.
Diagnosing the disease is easy. In the treatment, in addition to the endocrinologist, an oculist must necessarily participate. Depending on the degree of development of the disease, it is used:
- drug treatment;
- operational;
- radiological.
It is not advisable to use traditional medicine methods.
Thyroiditis
This group of thyroid diseases is inflammatory in nature and has a different origin.
Inflammatory damage to the thyroid gland is divided into autoimmune, adolescent, acute and chronic. Various mechanisms determine the development of the disease, but they are united in one group by the presence of inflammation that affects the thyroid tissue.
The reasons:
- consequences of transferred infectious diseases (acute purulent thyroiditis);
- radiation or traumatic damage to the thyroid gland (acute non-purulent thyroiditis);
- organ damage by influenza viruses, mumps, measles, infections of the nasopharynx (adolescent thyroiditis). Violations in this case are reversible.
Acute purulent thyroiditis is characterized by high fever and chills, pain spreading to the neck, neck, tongue and ears, weakness, enlargement of the cervical lymph nodes. The patient complains of headache, fatigue, body aches.
For acute non-purulent thyroiditis, the symptoms of the disease are mild.
Symptoms of adolescent thyroiditis are similar to those of acute purulent, but the development of the disease is not rapid and the pain is moderate. Sweating, weakness, sleep disturbance, nervousness, palpitations, joint pains are characteristic.
In chronic fibrous thyroiditis, attention should be paid to difficulty in swallowing and a sensation of a lump in the throat. In the future, there may be difficulty in breathing, speech, swallowing, headache, tinnitus, visual disturbances.
Self-treatment of thyroid diseases is impossible. When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor.