Understanding Hypothyroidism: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

What is it?

Hypothyroidism is the term used when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. The Thyroid Hormone is responsible for your body’s use of energy.
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune- when your body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. This condition is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

4350 Alikes with Hypothyroidism

Learn from others
who are experiencing
Hypothyroidism.

Join Now

Signs & symptoms

A hypoactive gland may cause you to feel more tired than usual but can also appear without any symptoms.
Other symptoms may include depression, feeling cold, constipation and thin or coarse hair.

Diagnosis

Physical exam: your doctor will exam your thyroid gland and look for signs of underactive gland such as dry skin, coarse and thin hair, and slow heartbeat. He will ask you to report any sign of hypothyroidism such as fatigue, depression, constipation, intolerance to cold and recent weight gain
Blood tests:
Thyroid function tests- TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), T3, T4, freeT4 (thyroid hormone).
In a case of hypothyroidism your T4 and T3 levels will be low, and your TSH level will usually be high.

Treatment

You will be treated with pills containing a synthetic thyroid hormone. The doctor will monitor your thyroid function until It normalize.
Most often the treatment is for life, and the dose may change over time.

☝️ This is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult with your physician before making any medical decision.

Learn more about our editorial process for content accuracy.

Source of Information - We analyze big data of more than 23 million patients de-identified medical records from the following sources:

National Institution of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ University of Illinois hospital