Sunday, February 17, 2013

Thyroid Gland: Functions, Problems And Remedies

By Glynda Rumley


Located in the front of our neck is an important part called the thyroid gland. This is the part of our body which takes care of processing the iodine intake in order to produce hormones. These hormones are responsible for helping the metabolic system to function properly and also help in other bodily processes which regulates growth. The pituitary gland which is situated in our brain also controls the efficacy and rate of the hormone production.

If the hormones are not produced in sufficient amount as when the gland is under active, it can lead to hypothyroidism. The major culprits of this condition include gland inflammation after delivery, acute thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis and autoimmune one. On the other hand, the over production of hormones when the gland is hyper active results in the condition called hyperthyroidism. Major cause of this thyroid problem includes too much iodine intake, toxic multinodular goiter, grave's disease, Hashitoxicosis and toxic nodules.

When a person experiences hypothyroidism, they can expect to feel wide variety of signs and symptoms which depend on how severe the deficiency is. Some may feel foggy and mentally forgetful, or excessively cold and fatigue. Others may have dry skin and the menstrual bleeding is excessive and prolonged. Different symptoms are also felt by those who are suffering from hyperthyroidism and this may include excessive sweating and heat intolerance. Others may suffer from irregular and scant menstruation and weight loss. Those whose condition are mild and those aging 70 and above may not feet any sign at all as the sign will only show when the condition has worsen.

There are also thyroid problems which can occur when it is the structure of the gland that is affected. These problems can range from benign and simple cyst to more serious ones like cancer which can either be follicular, papillary, anaplastic or medullary. The enlargement of this gland known as goiter may also form and vary in sizes from less noticeable to huge enough which will need surgical removal. Actual location of this gland may be in an abnormal area because of some abnormalities of people during developmental stage.

People who suffer from abnormal structure of their thyroid experiences wide variety of signs and symptoms. This may include problem in breathing and swallowing food as there is compression in the trachea. If the gland is enlarged too much it also causes bleeding and local pain. If the problem has developed into cancer, the person is likely to suffer from symptoms that are systemic like too much sweating at night, problem with appetite and significant amount of weight being lost. There are numerous medical methods device in order to address the different thyroid conditions.

Different medical methods are used to address the different thyroid problems. This may include medication to reduce production of hormones or the use of artificial hormones to address hormonal inadequacy. For those experiencing airway compression because of enlargement can undergo surgical treatment. Radioactive ablation is used for those who do not properly respond to the medication given and also those who have cancerous cysts in this gland.




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