Hypothyroidism - more common than believed to be. Review on Dealing with Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is more common a disease than people think. I came to realize this when I was detected with Hypothyroidism about 6 months ago. From that point on I have come to know of so many people around me who suffer from this disease. Fortunately this is a condition which can be dealt with without ever curing it! Yes that is true even if one's thyroid gland stops functioning altogether, one can still lead a pretty normal life.

Thyroid gland is located in the neck region just below what we call the 'Adam's apple'. It is a H-shaped small gland which is symmetrically placed there. But this small gland controls all the metabolism of the body through the secretion of a hormone called T3. Thyroid glands absorbs the iodine in the blood stream(which is present in many food items we eat) into thyroid hormones triiodothyronine(T3) and thyroxine(T4).

This conversion is achieved by thyroid gland by taking the iodine from foods, iodized salt and other supplements and combining it with the amino acid tyrosine to produce T3 and T4. T3 is an unstable compound due to its atomic structure but is the active hormone and forms about 10% of the total hormone outflow from the thyroid. T4 is a stable compound and at any given time will form 90% of thyroid hormone although it is not directly responsible for controlling the metabolism of the body.

There is another hormone called the TSH(Thyroid stimulating hormone) which is generated by the pituitary gland in your brain to send signal to the Thyroid gland to function. The causes of malfunctioning of Thyroid gland are not known but it is generally hereditary and also is said to be caused by excessive stress for long periods of time.

The thyroid gland can either become hyperactive or hypoactive. I am going to talk about hypoactive thyroid gland since this is the condition I have got. Now this is what a blood report of a typical hypothyroid patient(if he is suffering from primary hypothyroidism) will read like - T3 less than 0.3, T4 less than 0.5, TSH=200(much displaced from the normal rating) .

In primary hypothyroidism the thyroid gland stops working partially or fully thus causing the deficiency of T3 and T4 in the body, sensing which the pituitary gland generates more TSH to stimulate the Thyroid gland. But since it has stopped functioning, pituitary gland goes on the secrete TSH like a uncontrolled bull thus resulting in exceptional rise in TSH levels. Lesser the amount of T3 in your blood, more the amount of TSH there will be.

The detection of this disease is sometime not very easy, especially when the symptoms are mild. One can easily confuse its symptoms with other diseases. So it?s estimated that in America alone millions of people are suffering from it without knowing it. In India this disease is more common in the northern region The typical symptoms are:

1) Swollen or puffy face - This is the giveaway symptom of Hypothyroidism as most doctors detect it with this alone. The swelling is generally most at the sides of your eyes and around your throat

2) Skin becomes dry- Your skin may become dry and flaky. Your scalp will have a similar condition to dandruff and you will think that it is normal dandruff.

3) You feel cold - When everyone around you will feel ok you will feel very cold and might even shiver. Direct sunlight will sooth you even in summers.

4) Muscle pain and cramps - You can experience severe pain in the back, legs and arms. Your legs can become hard like a log and you will feel difficulty in walking, shaving, writing and all other day to day activities.

5) Difficulty in speaking - You can feel a bit tongue tied and will have to exert more force to speak. People around you will feel that you are not speaking the words clearly and your tongue is slipping.

6)Hair loss - You can experience sudden hair loss generally accompanied by flaking of scalp.

7) Sleep apnea and snoring - Your partner may notice that you have started snoring or snoring more loudly if you used to do it before. You may also experience sleep apnea(you may stop breathing for sometime during sleep). These happen due to the swelling and narrowing down of the tissues in the throat region.

8) General tiredness and laziness - You will feel lazy and tired most of the time. You may also experience decease in libido and erection(if you are male). Depression is also one of the symptom.

9) Constipation- You can suffer from constipation even after eating proper fibrous diet.

10) Weight Gain- Even dieting will be able to keep your weight in check if your thyroid stops secreting T4 and T3.

You can experience all or some of the above symptoms if you have an under active Thyroid gland. Now here comes the good news. One simple tablet of artificially synthesized hormone T4 daily, can cure all the above symptoms fully.! In India it is available under the brand names Thyrox and Thyronorm. All one has to do is pop a pill in the morning daily and forget about it. It?s that simple.! Well almost. One has to know what should be the dosage of this hormone.

To know this you have to get your blood test done for T3 and T4 primarily and consult a endocrinologist who will make a rough estimate according to the report, your age, sex and weight as to how much you should take daily. Once you start on the pill, your symptoms will fade away within 10 days. You will have to monitor the dosage however from time to time. Say every 2-3 months in the beginning and then 6 months after an year or so.

You might have to take this all your life(don't worry the tablet is damn cheap) or in some cases the thyroid becomes normal and since you are taking T4 artificially, you start showing symptoms of Hyperthyroidism. so in the case you have to bring it back to normal by taking a pill which does just the opposite.