The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health |
| Thyroid problems and hormone changes Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:32 AM PDT In the condition called hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, your body produces way too much thyroid hormones. MY MOTHER has a goitre at her throat. It's huge and oval in shape. Since she had it, she has lost weight despite having a very good appetite. But she is quite irritable lately and she takes out her bad temper on us kids. Is this because of her goitre? Your mother probably has hyperthyroidism. This is a condition that happens when your thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormones (thyroxine) than your body needs. It is also called thyrotoxicosis, and may or may not be associated with a goitre or swelling of the thyroid gland at your throat. Women are more likely to have it than men. Where exactly is the thyroid gland, and what does it do? Our thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and located in front of our throat – just below our larynx. It actually straddles our trachea or windpipe. The thyroid gland produces, stores and releases thyroid hormones into our bloodstream. There are two main hormones: T3 (tri-iodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine). They are crucial in our body's metabolism, affecting our breathing, brain development, heartbeat, nervous system, body temperature, muscle strength, skin dryness, menstrual cycles and weight. The thyroid gland also produces another hormone called calcitonin, which affects our blood calcium levels. Calcitonin has nothing to do with hyperthyroidism. As part of our endocrine system, thyroid hormone production (or lack of) is governed by our pituitary gland in our brain through yet another hormone called the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). What causes the thyroid hormones to be high then? Cancer? My mother is quite worried. Thyroid cancer almost never causes hyperthyroidism, so don't worry about it. Benign tumours of the thyroid gland, called adenomas, however, MAY cause hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism happens when we have too much T4 or (less frequently) T3 circulating in our blood stream. The T4 or T3 can be overproduced by our thyroid glands either on its own, or because it's overstimulated by too much TSH circulating in our bodies. What thyroid disease causes this to happen? Or is it a pituitary gland disease? Hyperthyroidism is most likely to be caused by: 1. Grave's disease – this is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. It is caused by our body's own immune system attacking the thyroid tissue and cells. In this disease, the body makes an antigen called the TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin), which mimics the TSH and causes our body to make too much thyroxine. 2. Thyroid nodules growing in one or more lobes of the thyroid gland – these contain more thyroid tissue, and so can produce more hormones. They are very common, and as many as 7% of all people have them. These thyroid nodules are benign and are called adenomas. Most of the time, they don't produce hormones, but some of them may become overactive. When this happens, this is called a toxic adenoma. Sometimes, we may have multiple nodules which are overactive. When this happens, this is called a toxic multinodular goitre. Only very rarely is hyperthyroidism caused by a pituitary gland tumour (adenoma) producing too much TSH. 3. Thyroiditis or inflammation of the thyroid gland – though it doesn't technically cause our thyroid gland to produce more hormones, the inflammation causes the thyroid hormones to leak out of the gland and into the bloodstream. There are many different types of thyroiditis. 4. Eating too much iodine – hey, it happens, and you might not even know about it. This is not to say some people like to drink medicated iodine, the kind used in chemistry labs or to swab your wounds, from the bottle! Some medications, like amiodarone for heart rhythm irregularities and certain cough syrups, have a lot of iodine in them. Another popular supplement found in pharmacies is seaweed, which also contains a lot of iodine. How will I know if I have hyperthyroidism? Look out for nervousness or irritability, frequent mood swings, insomnia, muscle weakness, getting tired easily, inability to tolerate heat, trembling of your hand at rest, palpitations or rapid heartbeat, frequent bowel movements, loss of weight despite a good appetite and a goitre (may or may not be present). Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health advice, computers and entertainment. For further information, e-mail star health@thestar.com.my. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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