The thyroid is a small gland in the neck right below the Adam's apple in the shape of a butterfly. When the thyroid usually functions, it can't be felt under the skin. The thyroid gland is placed around the windpipe and produces hormones that regulate the body's metabolism, growth, and development activities. Thyroid releases hormones are regularly released into the bloodstream depending on the situation and surroundings. A few instances where thyroid hormones are released at a variable degree are when it is too cold outside or when a female is going through pregnancy. Thyroid hormones help in digestion, producing the adrenaline rush, growth, maturity of the brain, digesting food, and regulating the pulse of the body.

The thyroid relies on the pituitary gland to receive signals about when and how much thyroid hormone should be released into the bloodstream.

In fight-or-flight situations, the body breaks down the thyroid in the blood for quick utilization.

The thyroid gland requires digestible iodine to function systematically; hence, maintaining a balanced diet with adequate amounts of iodine is essential.

What Are Thyroid Problems

Thyroid problems occur when there are abnormal secretions of thyroid hormones in the bloodstream. The body secretes excess thyroid glands into the bloodstream when the patient suffers hyperthyroidism. When the thyroid hormones are released in a deficit, that is known as hypothyroidism. While these are the most prominent forms of classifying thyroid problems, further classifications can be made based on the root cause and effect.

While most cases of thyroid can be easily managed or treated with medication, there are a few cases when left untreated, can be fatal and result in death.

Types Of Thyroid Problems

The most prominent and common forms of thyroid problems are:

Graves disease
Plummer Disease
Toxic Adenoma
Hypothyroidism
Thyroid nodules and
Thyroid cancer

1. Graves' Disease:

Graves' disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism that primarily affects women under the age of 40. Though many other forms of hyperthyroidism are prominent, Graves' disease is the most common.

Graves' disease is an autoimmune condition that causes the body to secrete excess hormones in the blood.

The symptoms of Graves' disease include anxiety and irritability, tremors in the limbs, weight loss even when maintaining regular eating habits, fluctuations in the menstrual cycle, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, bulging in the eyes and throat, and irregular bowel movements.

Graves' disease is treatable, and depending on the severity of the condition, doctors either administer beta blockers, antithyroid drugs, radioactive iodine therapy or surgery.

2. Plummer's disease:

Toxic multinodular goitre, or Plummer's disease, occurs when thyroid hormones in the blood are slightly elevated. Plummer's disease often occurs in men and women over 50. The somewhat elevated thyroid gland levels can increase significantly after the patient is treated with high iodine intake.

The symptoms of Plummer's disease include intolerance to heat, weakening of muscles, hyperactivity, weight loss, irritability, osteoporosis, increased appetite, increased heartbeat rate (tachycardia), and fatigue, among others.

The treatment options for Plummer's disease include the use of radioactive iodine, antithyroid drugs and surgery.

3. Toxic Adenoma:

Toxic adenoma is a condition in which the thyroid gland has a benign tumour growing, making it secrete more than the required thyroid hormones into the bloodstream. When iodine is deficient, the thyroid glands become bigger and work much harder to absorb iodine to secrete thyroid hormones.

In this condition, the body secretes higher levels of thyroid glands into the bloodstream.

A single benign growth is called an adenoma, while the presence of multiple tumours is referred to as a goitre. 3-5% of the total recorded cases of hyperthyroidism are caused by toxic adenoma.

The patients suffering from this condition experience weight loss, an increase in appetite, irritability, palpitations, muscle weakness, diarrhoea, irregular bowel movements, poor sleep and tremors.

Treatment options include radioiodine, antithyroid drugs, and surgery, depending on the nature of the disease and the patient's physical condition.

4. Hypothyroidism:

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid glands do not secrete adequate levels of thyroid hormones into the blood. It is caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis or the destruction of the thyroid gland due to lymphocytic thyroiditis, radioactive iodine, or an injury to the pituitary glands.

The significant symptoms of hypothyroidism include excessive sleep, muscle cramps, constipation, muscle cramps, dry skin, red spots on the shins, fatigue, swelling in the legs, intolerance towards cold, and hair loss, among others.

The treatment options for hypothyroidism vary on a case-to-case basis. However, the most commonly used treatment option is the use of thyroid hormone replacement drugs. It comes in the form of a pill, and the patient is advised to have one pill a day for the rest of their life to regulate the level of thyroid hormones in the blood.

5. Thyroid nodules:

A thyroid nodule is a lump that occurs in the thyroid due to irregular growth of thyroid tissue. Sometimes, these nodules present themselves in the form of an adenoma, goitre, or cysts. Often, these nodules in the thyroid gland are not cancerous, but in a few cases, the fluid in the cysts has small amounts of cancerous cells.

Thyroid nodules are caused as a by-product of Hashimoto's disease, overgrowth of the thyroid tissue, iodine deficiency, thyroid cancer, or severe inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Patients with thyroid nodules present symptoms which include sudden weight loss, fatigue, weakness in the muscle, irritability, dry skin, memory problems, constipation, irregular heartbeat and intolerance towards cold.

Thyroid nodules can lead to hypothyroidism, cause complications during the surgery of the thyroid glands, and make it difficult for people to swallow food and water.

The treatment for thyroid gland nodules includes surgery, thyroid hormone therapy, and waiting. Waiting is advised when the GP analyses the nodule and confirms it is non-cancerous. In these cases, the patient is advised to wait until the nodule disintegrates independently without any intervention.

6. Thyroid cancer:

The root cause of thyroid cancer is not known. However, it happens due to genetic mutation when the thyroid cells increase and do not die. It forms an irregular cluster of thyroid tissue around the windpipe. Thyroid cancer is often not fatal and can be treated with medication and surgery. However, there are a few forms of thyroid cancer that are very aggressive and result in a quick death.

The symptoms of thyroid cancer are:

Swelling in the throat
Difficulty in swallowing food and water
Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck
Chronic pain in the neck

The prominent forms of thyroid cancer are papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, Anaplastic thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and a few other rare forms of thyroid cancer. Anaplastic and medullary thyroid cancers are relatively aggressive and can cause fatal damage when left untreated.

Symptoms Of Thyroid Issues In Men and Women

Thyroid problems persist and show different symptoms in men and women. At the same time, most recorded cases of thyroid are from women either below the age of 40 or over the age of 50.

The number of recorded cases in men is significantly low. The thyroid affects men differently, and the effects are primarily around fertility, libido, and erectile dysfunction.

The symptoms of thyroid problems in women are:

Fatigue
Weakness in muscles
Respiratory distress
Difficulty in swallowing
Irritability
·Intolerance towards heat
Intolerance towards cold
Palpitations
·Swelling in the legs
Red spots on the shin
Effects on the sex drive
Excessive eating
Decline in appetite
Weariness
Dry hair
Hair loss
Fever
Few menstrual cycles
Lighter menstrual cycles
Diarrhoea
Sleeping disorders
Oversleeping

Causes Of Thyroid Issues

The major causes of thyroid are:

1. Autoimmune diseases:

Certain autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's Disease and Graves' Disease cause the thyroid glands to act abnormally and alter the level of thyroid hormones in the body.

2. Iodine deficiency:

The thyroid gland requires iodine to carry out its routine functions. When the body faces a deficit of iodine, more thyroid tissue is formed to absorb more iodine. This abnormal growth can cause an adenoma, cysts, or nodules, causing complications that could lead to thyroid issues.

3. Viral and bacterial infections:

Some bacteria and viruses could cause thyroid issues in the human body. If caught in the early stages, these conditions are curable.

4. Nodules:

Nodules in the thyroid gland occur when the thyroid tissue grows excessively to absorb more iodine. While most nodules are benign, they can still cause discomfort to the patient in the form of neck pain, stiffness, and difficulty swallowing.

5. Cancerous tumours:

Few nodules and cysts formed in the thyroid gland become cancerous and attack the host aggressively. Removing the cancerous cells with surgery is the best option to eliminate this root cause of thyroid problems.

Surgery and specific treatments:

Surgically removing the thyroid gland can cause hypothyroidism, and sometimes, the usage of radioiodine can also result in fluctuations in the secretion of thyroid hormones.

6. Pregnancy:

Sometimes, the onset of thyroid in a few women occurs during the pregnancy. These onsets, when left untreated, can cause a lot of thyroid problems to the mother and the fetus and can cause death to both in certain unattended cases.

Risk Factors

Although anyone can be affected by thyroid, the risk is significantly higher if you are:

A woman under 40 years of age or over 50 years
A pregnant woman
You have undergone radiation treatment to your neck or upper chest
You have Type 1 diabetes
You have delivered a baby in the last six months

Steps To Prevent Thyroid Issues

There are no measures that can help you prevent thyroid problems in life. However, following a few regimes can significantly reduce the risk of getting a thyroid problem. They are:

Quit smoking:

Smoking does a lot of damage to the body, and tobacco fluctuates the thyroxine levels in the body.

Maintain a healthy diet:

Ensure that you take every meal with a pinch of salt to ensure that your body does not run out of iodine, as the thyroid glands require iodine, and they tend to swell and clog the throat when the amount of iodine in the body is less.

Diagnosis

The thyroid can be diagnosed with symptoms like dry skin, irregular heartbeats, chest pains, loss of appetite, overeating, and red spots on the shin. However, to confirm a diagnosis, doctors generally test the blood for excess thyroid glands or acute levels of the same.

The thyroid can also be diagnosed physically using imaging tests such as CT Scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs.

In a few cases where the diagnosis from the other tests is not accurate, the doctor makes a small incision of the thyroid tissue to study its nature and make a precise diagnosis.

Treatment And Management Of Thyroid

Thyroid is a manageable and treatable disease which does not require any forms of medication. Hypothyroidism can be treated with artificial synthetic pills that can be used as an alternative to maintain normal levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.

Likewise, for hyperthyroidism, radioactive iodine can be used to selectively destroy certain parts of the thyroid gland that are causing the presence of elevated levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.

Surgery or thyroid surgery is recommended by doctors when there is a risk of thyroid cancer due to the presence of a nodule, an adenoma or a goitre. The result of removing the thyroid gland is that the patient would have to take synthetic thyroid pills throughout their life.

Road To Recovery And Aftercare

The road to recovery from hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is pretty normal. As long as the patient follows the medication regime, there should not be any complications.

People who have undergone thyroid surgery should refrain from driving for 1-2 weeks and get as much rest as possible, as they might experience muscle pain in the area of the incision, the neck, and the shoulder. Depending on the amount of excess tissue that had to be removed during the surgery, doctors prescribe Cytomel or Synthroid.