Diseases of the thyroid gland – when it does not hurt, but the whole body suffers. Unusual symptoms that should worry you

The main symptoms of hyperthyroidism are weight loss, trembling hands, excessive mobility, increased nervous excitability, increased sweating, tendency to diarrhea, increased heart palpitations, insomnia, menstrual disorders, feeling hot, slight reddening of the face and neck. To diagnose an overactive thyroid gland, blood hormone levels should be measured. Laboratory tests show an elevated level of fT4, especially fT3. In primary hyperthyroidism, TSH levels decrease. In order to restore the proper hormonal function of the thyroid gland in people with hyperthyroidism, it is first of all necessary to provide them with peace for many weeks, eliminate all sources of conflicts and emotions, ensure favorable environmental conditions, an abundant milk and vegetable diet and use appropriate pharmacological preparations blocking or inhibiting the activity. excessive production of hormones.

Hypothyroidism is manifested by apathy, general weakness, fatigue, a tendency to gain weight and depression, loss of appetite, changes in nails and hair, and decreased libido. When hypothyroidism occurs in utero or early childhood, it may develop what is known as cretinism, characterized by inhibition of physical, mental and sexual development and metabolic disorders. In hypothyroidism, the level of TSH is increased and the level of fT4 is lowered, the testing of fT3 in this disease is of less importance. In the treatment of hypothyroidism, thyroid preparations, synthetic hormones and iodine are used.

Fortunately, only about 5 percent. thyroid nodules are cancer. Due to the absence of clinical symptoms and the small size of the tumor, it is often undetected. Thyroid cancer does not usually affect the function of the thyroid gland. Factors predisposing to its development are irradiation of the neck with ionizing rays, a family history of thyroid cancer, long-term stimulation of the thyroid by TSH, and iodine deficiency or its excessive content in the diet. The basic method of treating thyroid neoplasms is its total excision with the lymph nodes in the neck. Treatment with radioiodine and thyroid hormones is the next step in cancer therapy. Treatment with thyroid hormones lasts for the life of the patient. The prognosis of differentiated thyroid carcinomas is much better in younger patients.

The enlargement states of the thyroid gland are called goiter. There are: simple, diffuse goitre, when the thyroid gland is evenly enlarged, nodular goitre, when within the enlarged thyroid gland there are nodules well separated from the surrounding area, which are an expression of uneven growth. The cause of goiter formation is the insufficient amount of iodine in water and in food, which does not meet the needs of the human body. Due to a lack of iodine, the gland grows to form a goiter. Simple goiter causing hoarseness and pressure symptoms (e.g. dyspnoea, laryngeal tightness) require medical consultation. In extreme cases, surgical intervention is necessary.

Thyroid nodules are most often benign changes, palpable on manual examination or visible on an ultrasound image. These lumps may also release an excessive amount of thyroid hormones, which makes the thyroid gland overactive. Nodular clusters are often called nodular goiter. Nodular goiter requires scintigraphy and sometimes a biopsy of suspicious nodules. Each palpable nodule or change in the echostructure of the thyroid gland with a diameter greater than 1 cm requires microscopic evaluation of the material collected during fine-needle aspiration biopsy in order to exclude neoplastic changes.

Inflammation of the thyroid gland is caused by a disturbance in the immune system. The disease is caused by an overactive immune system that incorrectly recognizes its own tissues as the target of an attack, causing inflammation and organ damage. The consequence of the disease are hormonal disorders, sometimes enlargement, but most often atrophy of the gland. Inflammatory diseases can lead to an overactive or underactive thyroid gland. The disease affects more women than men.

In Hashimoto’s disease, there is chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland caused by autoimmune processes. Patients are diagnosed with antibodies directed against thyroid peroxidase (abbreviated as anti-TPO) or thyroglobulin (abbreviated as anti-Tg). The antibodies damage the cells of the thyroid gland, which reduces the amount of hormones it produces. In blood tests, this causes T3 and T4 levels to fall and TSH levels to rise. The causes of the disease are not fully understood. One of the factors that predispose to the development of the disease are genetic conditions, excessive iodine intake and smoking. Women suffer from Hashimoto’s disease up to 15 times more often than men.

Graves’ disease causes hyperthyroidism, rarely hypothyroidism. The disease can present with pain and burning of the eyeballs, eyelid edema or protruding eyes, and “double” vision. There may be weakness, increased fatigue, drowsiness, problems with concentration and memory. It also happens that the main symptom becomes low mood, or even severe depression. Women develop menstrual disorders and men may develop erectile dysfunction. Blood tests sometimes show anemia and elevated cholesterol levels. The disease is caused by the production of antibodies that stimulate this gland to increase hormone-producing activity. The disease can be caused by severe psychological trauma, pregnancy, sexual disturbances, hormonal disorders of the menopause, acute or chronic infectious disease.

Certain cardiac medications can cause thyroiditis. People taking this type of medication should monitor their thyroid hormone levels.

Postpartum thyroiditis occurs in women who have had no thyroid problems before birth. The disease in the form of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism appears up to 1 year after childbirth. The main symptoms are weakness, nervousness, restlessness, irritability, palpitations, weight loss, and sometimes depression. It is then necessary to determine the concentration of TSH and anti-thyroid antibodies (anti-TPO). Treatment is based on taking appropriate medications. Women with diagnosed postpartum thyroiditis tend to become hypothyroid and should have their TSH levels checked regularly.