How An Overactive Thyroid Differs In Men And Women
Your thyroid is a regulatory gland in the body that works to maintain certain bodily functions
. When you have thyroid issues a number of symptoms can appear, and these symptoms will be based on your body as well as fit into a mass grouping of typical "thyroid symptoms". To understand thyroid disorders you will need to learn the symptoms, differences between men and women, and some of the things you can do to help it. You'll also need to know what overactive and underactive thyroid means.
Defining an Overactive Thyroid:
An overactive thyroid, which we will focus on in this article, is when your thyroid gland is producing too much of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Underactive thyroid is an under production of TSH. Overactive thyroid is called hyperthyroidism in medical terms, and you will often find additional information under hyperthyroidism. An overactive thyroid is more likely to occur in women. Studies have shown a 5 out of 10 commonality for women, meaning about 2 percent of all American women will have hyperthyroidism. In men there is about a .1 percent chance of developing an overactive thyroid problem. The exact cause of overactive thyroid is not known. For some reason certain individuals will experience a malfunction in the thyroid gland that causes it to overproduce, though there is definitely a genetic relationship. Women and men with thyroid disorders in their family are more likely to develop thyroid problems of their own.
Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism:
An overactive thyroid has different symptoms to those of the underactive thyroid. Many individuals including men and women will suffer from high blood pressure, hand tremors, weight loss, diarrhea, muscle weakness, fatigue, mood swings, irritability, nervousness, an inability to tolerate heat or cold, and memory loss. Dry skin, hair loss, and sexual issues are also present. There can be a loss of libido for men and women with hyperthyroidism. Furthermore, for men there is a higher chance for erectile dysfunction. Women may find their menstrual cycle is infrequent, stops all together, or changes from a pattern they have been on most of their life. Women with hyperthyroid can have trouble maintaining a healthy pregnancy and have complications at birth.
If left untreated, these symptoms can develop further eventually causing severe problems for the patient, even leading to death in extreme cases. Depending on the diagnosis of the patient suffering from overactive thyroid other symptoms may present such as bulging of the eyes and a goiter. Pressure will build behind the eyes pushing the eyes forward and widening the eye lids, which in turn shows more whites of the eye than a normal individual. If overactive thyroid is left without treatment the eyes could develop dryness, disease, and eventually loss of sight.
A goiter will be a bulging in the neck, where the thyroid gland is. The goiter can be soft or hard depending on the hyperthyroid disease. The gland can also develop cysts or cancerous cells. Some individuals with an overactive thyroid notice instead of fatigue they have extra energy. Sleeping disorders can also result.
Types of Overactive Thyroid:
There are a couple of different types of overactive thyroid. Grave's Disease is less common in women than it is in men; however, anyone can be affected by it. Grave's Disease is an autoimmune disease sending false signals to the thyroid gland making it overproduce the hormone. It is hereditary, causing swollen skin over shin bones, a goiter, bulging eyes, and many of the symptoms listed above. Other types are toxic multinodular goiter, thyroid adenoma, and thyroiditis.
Treatment and Care:
For those with overactive thyroid there are a few things you can do at home to help you. You can monitor your symptoms and learn to record your levels to know when blood work should be completed. Eating a healthy diet with proper nutrition and high calorie count is necessary for those who suffer from weight loss. Proper exercise is also essential, but again if weight loss is an issue muscle building regimes are better options than exercise designed to cut weight. Staying away from high iodine diets is a must.
For extreme cases of hyperthyroidism doctors may require radioactive iodine treatments to cut the production of TSH. It effectively kills the TSH cells, so that they can no longer produce the hormone. Too much of the radioactive iodine can turn the thyroid into an underactive thyroid disorder. If you suspect you have an overactive thyroid, are a women over 35, or a man nearing 60 you should have blood work run for TSH levels.
by: Andrew Long
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