Thyroid disease is a general term that refers to the medical conditions which prevent the thyroid gland from producing the normal amount of hormones. It is a prevalent disorder affecting about 20 million people in the United States. Instead of the risk of chronic conditions associated with thyroid diseases, here we will discuss three interesting facts about thyroid diseases, as mentioned below.
Thyroid diseases are prevalent because of their commonly occurring causes. The reasons or conditions which can lead to thyroid disorders commonly exist among people. Patients who don’t seek medical attention for certain diseases increase the risk factors for thyroid disease. Here we mentioned the conditions associated with thyroid diseases, which can further help you understand the high occurrence ratio of thyroid diseases in a population.
Iodine Deficiency: If you are not taking an adequate amount of iodine in your diet, you are more at risk of developing goiter and hypothyroidism. Iodine is needed by the thyroid glands for the synthesis of hormones. A deficiency of iodine disturbs the thyroid metabolism and can result in thyroid enlargement and other related disorders.
Autoimmune diseases: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease are autoimmune diseases in which immune cells start attacking thyroid healthy cells. Another very common autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes, also increases the risk factor for thyroid disease. When one autoimmune disease already exists, there is a greater likelihood that another autoimmune disease will develop (damaging the thyroid glands).
Regular Intake Of Certain Medications: Some commonly consumed drugs, including antiarrhythmic, bipolar disease, cancer, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-thyroid medications (as given in case of hyperthyroidism), interfere with the normal functioning of the thyroid glands.
Pituitary Gland Disorders: The pituitary glands produce the thyroid stimulating hormone, which triggers the thyroid to release the hormones. Tumor in the pituitary gland result in excessive production of TSH, which further lead to hyperthyroidism.
These are the most common causes of thyroid diseases. Other conditions such as nodules, thyroiditis, excessive iodine intake, and infections can also lead to thyroid malfunctioning.
According to a study, women are at 5 to 8 times more risk of developing thyroid diseases than men. Women are more likely to suffer from thyroid diseases because of the more fluctuation in the hormonal levels at different stages of life than men. The changes occurring in the female’s body during puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause increase her risk of thyroid malfunctioning.
Now, you must be aware of how prevalent thyroid diseases are and why women are at greater risk of suffering from thyroid diseases. If any thyroid disorder is left untreated, it can result in severe and chronic health ailments. Therefore, everyone must keep track of thyroid functioning. LabMe ensures your thyroid health by offering various at-home thyroid tests. The thyroid tests offered by LabMe can help you diagnose any existing thyroid dysfunction.