What are early warning signs of thyroid problems? Thyroid hormones play a crucial role in the body’s functions, including temperature regulation, growth, menstrual health, digestion, and sleep. When the thyroid gland malfunctions, it can lead to serious problems that affect your quality of life.
A lot of the early warning signs of thyroid problems are similar to those of other illnesses or life stages, which makes it difficult to get a diagnosis for these problems. The most common of these is hypothyroidism, which means that your thyroid doesn’t produce enough of the hormones it needs to function properly.
Medicines can also cause a problem with the thyroid
Several medicines can also cause a problem with the thyroid. These include lithium, which is used to treat some psychiatric disorders and is known to damage the thyroid gland.
Another sign that your thyroid isn’t working as it should is a swollen thyroid gland, or goiter. A large goiter can make swallowing and breathing painful.
Cold intolerance and a low morning reading are other common thyroid disease symptoms that should prompt a test. The thyroid regulates your body’s temperature, and a decrease in this regulation can cause you to feel cold even when the weather is warm.
Mild mood swings and episodes of anxiety or emotional outbursts are also common in people with thyroid dysfunction. These feelings are often misdiagnosed as depression, but they could actually be caused by the hormones produced by your thyroid.
You may also notice a change in your body weight. Your doctor may recommend a test to check your thyroid levels, so that you can see if the problem is causing you to gain weight or lose weight. If you’re gaining weight without making any changes in your diet or exercise routine, it’s a sign that your thyroid isn’t functioning properly.
What causes thyroid problems?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that’s located at the base of the neck, near the Adam’s apple. It creates two hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), that help control your heart rate, body temperature, metabolism and how the body reacts to other hormones.
Hypothyroidism:
This condition happens when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough of the hormones thyroxine or triiodothyronine. Treatment for hypothyroidism is usually taking daily hormone replacement tablets, called levothyroxine. You’ll need to have regular blood tests for your thyroid level until your doctor finds the right dose of medicine.
Congenital hypothyroidism:
This occurs when the thyroid doesn’t develop and function normally before birth. It’s a common problem that affects about 1 in 2,500 to 3,000 babies born in the United States, and is screened for as part of newborn testing.
Hyperthyroidism:
This is when your thyroid makes too much of the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. This can cause a wide range of symptoms.
Anti-thyroid medicines:
Doctors treat this condition by slowing the release of the hormones thyroxine from your thyroid. These medicines usually bring your thyroid hormone levels to normal within a few months.
Surgery:
In some cases, a healthcare provider may remove all or part of your thyroid gland. This is called a thyroidectomy and is done in a hospital under general anesthesia, so you’re asleep during the procedure. Afterward, you’ll need to take thyroid hormone replacement pills for the rest of your life.
What are early warning signs of thyroid cancer?
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the base of your neck near the windpipe (trachea). It has two lobes and an isthmus, a thin section of tissue that connects them.
It produces hormones that support metabolism and other vital body functions. They also play a role in development and growth.
Thyroid cancer occurs when malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the thyroid gland. There are different types of thyroid cancer, and their risk factors vary.
When you have thyroid cancer, it usually responds well to treatment. Surgery is a common method to treat the disease and can cure it in some cases.
Your health care team may find out if you have thyroid cancer through an exam and tests that look at the thyroid, neck, and blood. These tests can detect cancer, determine its stage, and identify its type.
During a physical examination, your doctor will feel for any changes in your neck. If your doctor finds a change, he or she may recommend a radioiodine scan to check for cancer.
A fine-needle aspiration biopsy is another way to confirm a thyroid cancer diagnosis. This test involves collecting a sample of tissue from the nodule using a needle and looking at it under a microscope.
The good news is that most thyroid cancers are asymptomatic, meaning you don’t have any symptoms. The bad news is that some kinds of thyroid cancer can cause symptoms, such as pain in the neck or weight loss. These symptoms can be a sign of an aggressive cancer or a spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
How does thyroid cancer make you feel?
The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland in the base of your throat produces important hormones that help regulate your metabolism (the way your body uses energy). Two types of cells in the thyroid, follicular and parafollicular, produce thyroid hormones. These hormones control your heart rate and temperature, as well as how much calcium is in your blood.
Having too much or too little of these hormones can cause problems, including feeling sluggish and having weight gain.
Breathing problems
Sometimes people with thyroid cancer experience breathing difficulties that may look like they are breathing through a straw. This is because a growth or nodule on the thyroid can press on the airway near the voice box and cause trouble breathing.
Trouble swallowing
The esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach) has special nerve endings called baroreceptors. When these nerve endings sense pressure from the inside or outside of the esophagus, they can signal that something is blocking the swallowing tube.
Cough that will not go away
A cough can be a sign of many things, from a cold to allergies or post nasal drip to reflux of stomach acid. But a persistent cough that does not go away, even after a throat infection, can be a sign of thyroid cancer.
Neck pain If you have a lump or swelling in your neck that doesn’t go away or if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, talk to your doctor for a diagnosis. Then, your doctor can arrange tests that can confirm the diagnosis.
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