Thyroid Disease Requires Careful Management

Approximately 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. While those who have thyroid disease are of all ages and races, women are five to eight times more likely to have thyroid disorders than men.

The thyroid is part of the body’s endocrine system, which consists of a complex group of glands that produce hormones that control many areas, such as reproduction, metabolism, and growth and development. Hormones also control the way you respond to your surroundings and help provide the proper amount of energy and nutrition your body needs to function.

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the middle of the lower neck. “The thyroid’s primary function is to control the body’s metabolism – it uses energy from the food you eat and tells your organs how fast or slow they should work,” says Sanjit Bindra, M.D., medical director of the Lakewood Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Center. “To control metabolism, the thyroid produces hormones to tell the body’s cells how much energy to use.” Thyroid hormones also regulate the consumption of oxygen and the production of heat.

“Hyperthyroidism is a condition caused when the thyroid produces too much hormone, causing the body to use energy faster than it should,” says Dr. Bindra. Too much thyroid hormone can make you lose weight, speed up your heart rate and make you sensitive to heat. Other symptoms include irritability and nervousness, muscle weakness and tremors, infrequent and scant menstrual periods, sleep disturbances, an enlarged thyroid gland, and vision problems or eye irritation.

“Conversely, hypothyroidism is caused when the thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormone, causing the body to use energy slower than it should,” says Dr. Bindra. A far more common condition, hypothyroidism can make you gain weight, feel fatigued and have difficulty dealing with cold temperatures. Other symptoms include frequent and heavy menstrual periods, forgetfulness, dry and course skin/hair, and a hoarse voice.

“Thyroid disease can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are easily confused with other conditions,” says Dr. Bindra, who is board-certified in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. “Fortunately, there is a test, called the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test that can identify thyroid disorders even before the onset of symptoms.” A recent study found the screening test to be effective in diagnosing mild thyroid failure in women and men over age 35.

“When thyroid disease is caught early, treatment can control the disorder even before the onset of symptoms,” says Dr. Bindra. “The goal of any treatment is to restore normal levels of thyroid hormone.”

Hypothyroidism is treated with a drug called levothyroxine. This is a synthetic hormone tablet that replaces missing thyroid hormone in the body. With careful monitoring, your doctor will adjust your dosage accordingly, and you'll soon be able to return to your normal lifestyle.

Hyperthyroidism, generally more difficult to treat, requires the normalization of thyroid hormone production. Treatment could involve drug therapy to block hormone production, radioactive iodine treatment that disables the thyroid, or even thyroid surgery to remove part or the entire gland.

The most popular treatment is radioactive iodine. This therapy often results in hypothyroidism, requiring the use of levothyroxine in order to restore normality.

“Thyroid diseases are life-long conditions,” says Dr. Bindra. “Fortunately, careful management by an endocrinologist can help people with thyroid disease to live healthy, normal lives.”

Sanjit Bindra, MD, Endocrinologist Lakewood Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Center 14601 Detroit Ave, Suite 540, Lakewood The Lakewood Hospital Diabetes and Endocrine Center serves as a vital resource for patients and their physicians. For more information, or to make an appointment with Dr. Bindra, call 216.529.5300 or visit www.lakewoodhospital.org/diabetes.