Underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism) >> back to the newsletter overview

 

Hypothyroidism is the most common functional disorder of the thyroid gland. It occurs in two different forms: as a fully manifested hypothyroidism, it affects about two out of a hundred people, and in its incomplete form, the so-called latent or subclinical hypothyroidism, it even affects seven to eight people out of a hundred. Women are about four times more often affected than men.

 

How the thyroid gland works

The thyroid gland is a small organ located in the neck, at about the area of the larynx or rather slightly below; in the case of women, it has a volume of up to 18 ml, in that of men of up to 25 ml. Controlled by the pituitary gland, the thyroid produces chemical messengers (so-called hormones) referred to as thyroxine and triiodothyronine. To maintain the hormone production without any disorders it is necessary to take up sufficient amounts of iodine from food. The thyroid hormones are released into the bloodstream which brings them to their so-called targeted organs at which they are meant to transmit certain effects. With this, the thyroid gland regulates a great amount of essential body functions and metabolic processes, such as the energy balance and body temperature, cardio-vascular and intestinal functions, the function of sebaceous and perspiratory glands, the mental efficiency and many more. For children, the thyroid gland plays a vital role for growth and development. The normal thyroid function is in disorder when the gland produces either too few (underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism) or too many (overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism) of its hormones.

 

Causes of hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism can be caused on the following three functional levels:

• due to an underactivity of the thyroid itself (=primary hypothyroidism)
• due to an underactivity of the pituitary gland that controls the thyroid (= secondary hypothyroidism) or
• due to an underactivity of the so-called hypothalamus, i.e. the center of the brain that controls the pituitary gland (=tertiary hypothyroidism)

 

Secondary and tertiary hypothyroidism are comparatively rare which is why we will focus on primary hypothyroidism. This form of thyroid underactivity is mostly caused by inflammatory processes, iodine deficiency, drug side effects and medical interventions, such as surgeries or radiotherapy.

 

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

The following are the most frequent and therefore most important signs of hypothyroidism:

• fatigue, exhaustion
• inexplicable weight gain
• hair loss, dry skin
• excessive feeling of cold, newly experienced sensitivity of feeling cold
• newly experienced proneness to constipation

 

What you can do for yourself

A sufficient iodine uptake from food is most essential for a healthy thyroid gland and its normal functioning. This can, for instance, generally be achieved without any further effort by regularly using iodized table salt. Before deliberately increasing the iodine uptake, however, the thyroid should once be examined as an increased uptake can have a negative impact in cases of existing thyroid diseases.

In addition patients should undergo a medical examination, in case they notice typical symptoms of hypothyroidism or a visible swelling of the gland.

 

What we can do for you

PKD am Städel disposes of a high-performance laboratory and a state-of-the-art ultrasound scanner of maximum efficiency. This enables our specialists in hormone disease diagnostics (endocrinologists) to thoroughly screen the thyroid gland and its hormonal balance, possibly detect abnormalities and their causes and inform our patients in full detail about necessary measures.

 

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