All you need to know about treating thyroid diseases
Thyroid disease is a common problem that occurs because of over or under-functioning of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a vital organ for producing thyroid hormones, which control most of the metabolic processes in the body.
What is thyroid disease?
There are numerous diseases one can suffer from due to a malfunctioning of the thyroid gland. Thyroid disease is caused when the body produces an excess of thyroid hormone or produces too little. The former is called hyperthyroidism, whereas insufficient production of the hormone is termed as hypothyroidism. Thyroid goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid that is caused due to iodine deficiency or excessive radiation exposure. Thyroid cancer is a common phenomenon amongst youth. The survival rates are high when diagnosed at an early stage.
What are the causes of hyperthyroidism?
Various conditions that cause hyperthyroidism are:
- Graves’ disease : An abnormal excessive production of Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI) in the blood.
- Subacute thyroiditis : Temporary inflammation of the gland that causes the gland to leak excess hormones. Most of the people will go back to normal thyroid function without treatment.
- Toxic multinodular goiter : Nodules in the thyroid gland secrete hormones by themselves, disregarding the degree of THS stimulation.
- Pituitary adenoma : This tumor of pituitary gland causes the independent production of TSH, resulting in overstimulation of the thyroid gland.
What are the causes of hypothyroidism?
- Loss of thyroid tissue – Radioactive destruction of the tissue, surgical removal or any autoimmune disorder may result in loss of thyroid tissue.
- Excessive exposure to iodine – Sinus and heart medicines may expose the body to too much of iodine.
- Antithyroid antibodies – These are likely to be present in people who suffer from type 1 diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic hepatitis, or Sjogren’s syndrome because they cause a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones.
What are the ways to treat a thyroid disease?
Treating thyroid diseases differs on a case to case basis. Medication is the first course of treatment in most cases but sometimes, surgery is the only solution. Medications for thyroid usually involve taking pills. Most of those affected are bound to rely on them throughout their lives. Over a period of time, treatment may result in weight loss, increased energy, and lowering of cholesterol levels.
Hyperthyroidism
Medications that can help fight hyperthyroidism are those that drastically lowers the amount of thyroid hormone produced. One’s doctors can recommend radioactive iodine therapy wherein the condition is treated by scarring down the thyroid gland until it is much smaller. Beta-blockers is another option, but these improve the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and don’t exactly treat the underlying cause.
In case medication does not work or there is severe enlargement of the gland, then surgery is the last resort.
Hypothyroidism
No drug, surgery, medications can boost the thyroid hormone production once it slows down. The most common and effective medication for hypothyroidism is L-thyroxine, which is a synthetic form of thyroxine. Triiodothyronine can also be used as thyroid hormone replacement, but this isn’t ideal as it can lead to complications in people with heart issues or the elderly.
The final solution to treat thyroid cancer is by either removing the thyroid tissue or the whole thyroid gland. This procedure is called a thyroidectomy.