Your thyroid is located in your neck… but what exactly does it do? Source: Shutterstock
Thyroids are something that I hadn’t really heard about until I learned that thyroid issues run in my family. It turns out that according to Nemours (a non-profit children’s health organization): “For reasons that doctors don’t yet understand, autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves disease are much more common in women and are most likely to occur in teens and young and middle-aged adults.”
Considering those factors, it seems like it would be a good idea to let you know just what the thyroid does and what possible abnormalities could be or mean (for example, what Graves disease even is).
First, where exactly is your thyroid? The thyroid gland is in your neck and it is known for having a butterfly shape. It’s located right up there against your windpipe. It lets out hormones that impact a whole bunch of your bodily functions, from metabolism to organ function to puberty.
To go about making those hormones and sending them out into the bloodstream, the thyroid relies on the iodine that you get from eating and drinking. Along with thyrosine, the iodine is what the thyroid uses to produce those hormones that the body’s cells need.
So long as the thyroid is its normal size, you shouldn’t be able to feel it. However, when it swells up and gets bigger, that’s called a goiter. A goiter could possibly be indicative of another thyroid issue.
When it comes to thyroid conditions, you may have heard of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid is producing and releasing less hormones than it should. For some people, there won’t be noticeable side effects. In others you might feel really tired, have altered periods or constipation.
A common cause of hypothyroidism is called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. In this situation, your thyroid can’t make enough hormone because your immune system is actually going after your own thyroid cells.
Hyperthyroidism means that your thyroid is producing and releasing more hormones than normal. Again, you may not have any obvious symptoms, but a few things you could find is that you’re losing weight (without having made any diet changes), your body is showing signs of nervousness (like your hands are shaking or your heart is beating faster than usual), or you notice that you’re losing hair.
A common cause of hyperthyroidism is called Graves’ disease, another instance where your immune system is going after your thyroid. In this case though, the thyroid tries to counter the attack and ends up producing and releasing too much of the thyroid hormone.
This illustration shows where your thyroid is located. Source: Shutterstock
Treatment options depend on the actual cause of the thyroid issues. Hypothyroidism can often be addressed by taking thyroid hormone pills regularly. For hyperthyroidism, regular antithyroid medication is one treatment option.
More permanent options to treat hyperthyroidism include something called “radioactive iodine” treatment (RAI), where you ingest a substance which goes in and shrinks your thyroid glands. Another possibility is surgery to remove a majority of the thyroid. Often after these more permanent options to treat hyperthyroidism, the body would now not produce enough thyroid hormone, so you would then start taking a hormone replacements daily.
Considering how vital your thyroid is for keeping everything in your body in proper working order, it’s important to share any symptoms or concerns with your doctor, so that she can figure out the next steps. Your doctor can physically examine you and also run blood tests in order to determine if you have a thyroid disorder.
While hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are considered easy to treat, not treating both them could lead to more serious concerns. For example, hyperthyroidism could have negative effects on your heart, while hypothyroidism could contribute to the elevation of cholesterol levels in your body (which increases the risk for heart attacks or strokes).
As always, just be open with your doctor with any questions or concerns about thyroids. Also, since thyroid conditions can run in your family, talk to your parents about your family’s medical history. Whether or not thyroid issues are something your family has dealt with, it’s still a good idea to just ask questions about your family’s health history so that you can be a bit more informed about your own health going forward.
Had you learned about thyroids before? What other health topics would you want us to cover? Tell me in the comments!
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