Thyroid Disease: Know the Facts

Thyroid Disease: Know the Facts
Thyroid Disease is a world-wide reality
 About 200 million people in the world have some form of thyroid disease. Yet before the founding of the Thyroid Foundation of Canada in 1980, no lay organization existed in North America to promote public education about thyroid disease and to promote public support of thyroid research.
Thyroid disorders for the most part are treatable; however, untreated thyroid disease can produce serious results in other parts of the body. Improved public awareness and understanding of thyroid disorders will enable patients and their families to cope more effectively with the sometimes disturbing course of thyroid illness. In this way individuals will also be better equipped to play a role in alerting their physicians to a suspected thyroid condition that may otherwise be difficult to diagnose in the sometimes slowly developing initial phases.
The thyroid gland
 The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck. It weighs only about 20 grams. However, the hormones it secretes are essential to all growth and metabolism. The gland is a regulator of all body functions. Thyroid disorders are found in 0.8-5% of the population and are 4 to 7 times more common in women.
Types of thyroid disease
 There are many types of thyroid disease. However, the main conditions present in most thyroid illnesses are hypothyroidism (thyroid under activity) and hyperthyroidism (thyroid over activity).
Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer
 Thyroid nodules are common and treatable but should always be investigated since a small proportion of them are cancerous. The majority of thyroid cancers have a favourable prognostic and require a multidisciplinary approach (endocrinologist, surgeon, nuclear medicine specialist and sometimes oncologist). In the past years there has been a rise in the number of thyroid cancers being identified. There has been no change however, in the mortality rate.

Symptoms of thyroid disease
 Signs and symptoms of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid conditions include:
Hypothyroidism
•weak slow heart beat
•muscular weakness and constant fatigue
•sensitivity to cold
•thick puffy skin and/or dry skin
•slowed mental processes and poor memory
•constipation
•goitre (increased size of the thyroid)
Hyperthyroidism
•rapid forceful heartbeat
•tremor
•muscular weakness
•weight loss in spite of increased appetite
•restlessness, anxiety and sleeplessness
•profuse sweating and heat intolerance
•diarrhea
•eye changes
•goitre (increased size of the thyroid)
•more on Hyperthyroidism