Thyroid Diseases & Arising Risk Factors

The thyroxin secreted from the thyroid gland regulates the number of heartbeats (pulsation) per minute and the amount (flow) of the blood the heart pumps per heartbeat.

Hyperthyroidism causes speeding of the heartbeats (tachycardia) and breakage of the heart’s rhythm (arrhythmia). As a result, the patient feels ‘throb’.  Moreover, when the thyroid hormone applied in treatment of goiter is overconsumed, the same heart arrhythmia is seen. The first thing the patient realizes after the treatment of Hyperthyroid is a speedy turning of the heartbeats to normal. Not being aware that the reason is Thyroid disease, rhythm correcting treatments are applied to such patients for a long time, but no result is likely achieved, as not treating the thyroid disease, which is the underlying reason, these symptoms do not return to normal.

When deficiency of thyroid hormone, which is called Hypothyroidism, is experienced, the heart gets weaker and decreases fewer than 70 pulses per minute. Also, the cholesterol of the patient increases. The high cholesterol does not decrease even through diet and drugs. If the thyroid deficiency of the patient is not treated in a short period, the increased cholesterol may block the heart and brain veins, and myocardial infarction and paralysis may probably increase. In both the pre-treatment examination of the patients whose heartbeats are slow and stage of diagnosis of cholesterol, an examination should be made in terms of the thyroid disease and these patients should be give an adequate dose of the thyroid hormone at the treatment stage. This treatment should last life long under close follow-up.   

           

For diagnosis of the functional disorder of the thyroid gland, the level of the tests of the thyroid function in blood should be measured. The most valuable among these measurements is measurement of the TSH level in blood. And other tests are measurements of T4 and T3 levels. If the thyroid hormone is lesser or more than adequate, firstly the reason for and type of this should be determined through modern techniques and then, a treatment applicable to the type of the goiter should be made. 

In order to have regular menstruations, many hormones in our body should be in a healthy balance. However, when it is said menstrual irregularity, firstly sexual hormone disorders, that is, the levels of estrogen and progesterone in blood in women come to mind. But menstrual irregularity may also be experienced due to unsatisfactory (hypothyroidism) or excessive (hyperthyroidism) secretion of the thyroid hormones even when the sexual hormones are normal in many patients.

   

In menstrual irregularities due to the thyroid hormone disorders, the classical estrogen-progesterone treatment is not successful in most cases. In such patients, firstly, the thyroid hormone disorder is treated and is waited for treatment of the menstrual disorder after a 3-6 month period.

Thyroid diseases detected in infants generally arise from the thyroid diseases that the mother experiences during pregnancy and the treatment applied to the mother for this purpose. Sometimes, when there is no thyroid disease in the mother, hyper/hypothyroid or thyroid nodule may be detected in the newborn babies. Although it is rare, in some cases, the thyroid gland does not absolutely develop in infants (thyroid aplasia). Another strange situation is location of the thyroid gland in a faulty place (ectopic thyroid).     

The most frequent and the most terrible thyroid disease in infants is deficiency of secretion of the thyroid hormone. In this clinical table called Neonatal hyperthyroidism, adequate thyroid hormones are not secreted from the thyroid gland in infants, which in its turn hinders the physical and intellectual development of the babies. While a successful treatment produces a full result in infants in general, in the infants not treated, dramatic development and mental deficiency is unavoidable. Therefore, an early diagnosis is essential.

The frequency of thyroid incidences varies from country to country by the sensitivity of the used screening test. It is accepted that in Europe, one in every 3,300 babies has thyroid hormone deficiency. And in our country, frequency of the thyroid disease has been detected in one in every 3,344 live births. In untreated incidences, a serious mental deficiency and asymmetric nanosomia may occur. If not diagnosed earlier, permanent mental deficiency is unavoidable. In the babies born underweighted this disease is seen more frequently. In babies, in the blood taken in the first days after the birth, N-TSH should be measured. This screening test is not made by taking blood sample from the veins of the babies; there are special laboratory kits for performing this test in the blood taken from the toes. In our country, a TSH test is freely conducted in each newborn baby with the aim to treat neonatal hypothyroidism without delay. 

Hypothyroidism, intestinal obstruction and chronic fatigue are seen; while in Hyperthyroidism, diarrhea and nausea may be seen. And in most of the thyroid diseases, amnesia, joint pains, cramps, fatigue, loss of motivation, proneness to depression and sexual anorexia may be observed.     

Any disorder in the thyroid hormones influences on all systems of the body and causes very significant health problems. This hormonal system which is so much important should be controlled by consulting your doctor and by getting first TSH measurement in blood and T3 and T4 levels measured.