Hypothyroidism is a disease caused by insufficient thyroid hormone synthesis and secretion due to various reasons.
This disease [prefers] women, and the ratio of male to female patients is 1: 8. In recent years, hypothyroidism has shown an increasing trend year by year. According to the latest statistics, the prevalence rate of clinical hypothyroidism in China is about 1.0%. If [subclinical hypothyroidism] (a mild hypothyroidism) is included, the total prevalence rate is as high as 6.5%.
Why do you get hypothyroidism?
The most common cause of adult hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Other causes include thyroid surgery, radioiodine therapy and insufficient iodine intake (mainly found in iodine deficiency areas). Hypothyroidism (i.e. [central hypothyroidism]) caused by pituitary and hypothalamic lesions is relatively rare clinically.
Thyroid hormone is missing. How?
The function of thyroid hormone is mainly to promote growth and development and regulate metabolism.
Hypothyroidism patients suffer from hypothyroidism, which leads to a decrease in basal metabolic rate due to insufficient thyroid hormone secretion. Clinical manifestations include fatigue, slow heartbeat, poor appetite, constipation, dry skin, alopecia, drowsiness, slow response, listlessness, irregular menstruation, anemia, sallow complexion, edema, etc.
Due to the decline of the body’s heat production capacity, hypothyroidism patients are often more afraid of cold than the average person.
Is hypothyroidism harmful to what?
The harm of hypothyroidism is systemic and related to the onset age.
- Hypothyroidism in infants often leads to short stature and mental retardation, commonly known as [dullness]; Hypothyroidism in women of childbearing age can lead to infertility. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy not only easily leads to abortion and premature delivery, but also affects the intellectual development of the fetus. Adult hypothyroidism affects almost every aspect of the patient, Causing abdominal distension and constipation, dyslipidemia, pericardial effusion, heart failure, renal dysfunction, anemia, sexual dysfunction, mental depression, obesity and edema, etc. The most serious complication is [mucinous edema coma], which almost all occurs in cold winter. If it is not treated in time, the prognosis is extremely poor and the mortality rate is as high as 50%.
How to diagnose hypothyroidism?
Because thyroid hormones have effects on all organs of the whole body, the clinical manifestations of hypothyroidism are varied and lack of specificity. In addition, the disease progresses slowly. Therefore, hypothyroidism is easily missed or misdiagnosed in the early stage. For example:
- Hypothyroidism is often misdiagnosed as [climacteric syndrome] due to abnormal mood and irregular menstruation. Being misdiagnosed as depression due to lack of speech and depression; Due to bradycardia, pericardial effusion was misdiagnosed as [coronary heart disease]; Proteinuria was misdiagnosed as nephropathy due to edema of face and lower limbs. Weight gain is considered to be middle-aged weight gain. Slow response, memory loss and lethargy are considered to be natural phenomena of old age. … …
Due to the lack of sufficient understanding of the diversity of clinical manifestations of hypothyroidism, some hypothyroidism patients have not been diagnosed for many years.
Doctors will pay special attention to the following symptoms when patients have the following symptoms clinically, [thyroid function needs to be checked].
- Often feel tired, sleepy, lack of energy; Memory drops, thinking is late and pure, and attention is difficult to concentrate. Gain weight; The skin is dry and thicker, and the nails become brittle. Fear of cold, low mood, laziness, less lazy language; Poor appetite, poor digestive function and constipation; The heart rate slows down; The whole body muscle pain, limbs numbness; The whole body is swollen for unknown reasons and the skin is yellow.
Can hypothyroidism be cured?
Compared with hyperthyroidism, the treatment of hypothyroidism is relatively simple, and only a certain amount of thyroxine, such as levothyroxine tablets, needs to be supplemented daily.
Except for a few hypothyroidism that can be completely cured, such as subacute thyroiditis and drug-induced hypothyroidism, most hypothyroidism is permanent and requires lifelong treatment.
Therefore, most patients need to take medicine for life, and need to come to the hospital every three months to six months to check thyroid function, and adjust the replacement dose of thyroid hormone in time according to the examination results.
- Excessive replacement dose will cause hyperthyroidism reactions such as tachycardia, hyperhidrosis and excitement. If the replacement dose is insufficient, the patient’s low metabolic symptoms such as chills, hypohidrosis, anorexia, fatigue and hypothermia cannot be corrected.
Does hypothyroidism require a high iodine diet?
Iodine is an important raw material for synthesizing thyroid hormone. Many patients take it for granted that if they have hypothyroidism, they should eat high iodine.
In fact, it is not. Whether additional iodine supplement is needed depends on what, the cause of hypothyroidism.
- If hypothyroidism is caused by simple iodine deficiency, such as hypothyroidism caused by endemic goiter, iodine can be supplemented appropriately, but remember to be under the guidance of a doctor. If hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a low iodine diet is required to restrict kelp, laver and various seafood. Because a high iodine diet will aggravate Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or induce recurrence of hyperthyroidism.
In daily diet, hypothyroidism patients need to supplement sufficient high-quality protein and iron to ensure the intake of eggs, milk, bean products, freshwater fish and shrimp, etc. At the same time, you should eat less high-fat and high-cholesterol foods so as not to aggravate lipid metabolism disorders.