Thyroid Disease​

Many types of thyroid disease exist. In all cases the amount of thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland is altered. This in turn affects energy production in every cell in your body and changes your metabolic rate. Your metabolism may speed up (overactive thyroid - hyperthyroidism) or slow down (under-active thyroid - hypothyroidism)​​. 

 

In all cases, when your thyroid malfunctions, you feel ill. One of the most common symptoms is fatigue. This may be accompanied by a raft of other diffuse symptoms such as cold hands and feet, palpitations, hair loss, brittle nails etc. depending on the nature of your thyroid condition.

 

To assess your symptoms please complete the WH360                                        

 

Autoimmune Disease​

Sometimes your immune system can malfunction and mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland or its hormone receptors altering the amount of hormone produced.
This is known as autoimmune thyroiditis. 90% of thyroid disorders.
As a result thyroid hormone may be over-produced (Graves' Disease) or under-produced (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis).

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Alternatively nodules or goitres may appear on the gland. Depending on the nature of these growths (benign or malignant) some or all of your thyroid gland may need to be removed (thyroidectomy) and you may need to take thyroid hormone orally.

 

Thyroid Hormones

The pituitary gland produces TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone).
TSH tells your thyroid to produce two hormones: T4 (thyroxine) which is INACTIVE and T3 (triiodothyomine) which is ACTIVE. It also produces other hormones T2 and T1.

The numbers 1 to 4 related to how many iodine atoms are attached to the hormone.

 

T4 and T3 enter the bloodstream, where they travel to the kidneys, liver, lungs and other organs and help regulate metabolism. It is in the liver that the bulk of ACTIVE thyroid hormone (T3) is produced when an enzyme - 5'deiodinase - removes one iodine atom.

 

​Thyroid Metabolism & Related Conditions

The thyroid gland does not act alone. It works with other organs such as the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, liver etc. to regulate energy production in your body.
In addition to the pituitary gland, other glands affect how well the thyroid works and the amount of hormone it produces including the hypothalamus and adrenal glands.

 

The adrenal glands produce cortisol that has a significant impact on thyroid function. If the adrenal glands are under long-term stress or cortisol production is affected by disease (autoimmune or adenoma etc.) thyroid function will be affected.

 

The symptoms of long term stress and thyroid disease can overlap. If you are symptomatic while on thyroid medication it's worth re-checking your symptoms and perhaps doing some tests to ensure another disease state has not been overlooked.

 

If this is YOU...please check out our                                                               section.