The thyroid gland is a gland located in the neck that controls and regulates the hormone thyroxin. The thyroxin hormone is important for maintaining metabolism and body temperature. It creates the proteins that help your body function correctly, affecting cells and issues all over your body. Low levels of thyroxin are caused by an underactive thyroid gland – a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Hormones are important, naturally occurring chemicals in the body that are needed to maintain full function of all aspects of the body.
What Effect Does Low Thyroid Levels Have?
Low thyroid levels will affect your body function in a number of ways. Because the thyroid controls your metabolism, it may increase your appetite but decrease your energy. Metabolism is the process of extracting the right amount of energy from the right amount of food. Without the right about of energy, you may find you are lacking in energy and lethargic, which in turn can lead all-over body aches and, in some people, depression. It may also cause more general defect in mental function, for example bad short term memory or slow to calculate or process simple information.
Longer term and more serious affects of low thyroid levels include memory loss in the elderly, pregnancy complication and even infertility or increased risk of heart failure. It is best to deal with the condition quickly.
Symptoms include water retention, which may manifest itself in the forms of infrequent urination and less sweat than you might expect. It may also make your figure bloated or induce weight gain for no apparent reason (no increase in food intake). Low thyroid levels may cause constipation or dry skin, dull hair and a drop in body temperature, causing you to feel excessively cold in moderate to warm temperatures.
What Causes Low Thyroid Levels?
Low thyroid levels can be caused the number of factors but do not usually appear out of the blue. There may be a genetic tendency, either directly or increased likelihood from syndromes such as Down’s and Turner’s. Hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune condition, so if you have others such as type one diabetes or celiac disease (wheat intolerance). Previous surgery on the thyroid may also have caused damage. Low thyroid levels are usually only found in adults.
Thankfully, the solution is simple. If you think you may have an underactive thyroid, a quick finger prick blood test will give you answers. Aside from attending the doctors or seeing a nurse, from-home testing kits are also available to save you a journey. Once established that you have low thyroid levels, it is a simple step to be prescribed the required medication; a pill to be taken every day on an empty stomach. The course will usually be permanent.
The pills do not usually carry any undesirable side effects as it is a naturally occurring hormone – you are simply topping it up. However, just in case you find you are intolerant to them, speak to your doctor and he should be able to find you an alternative that works in much the same way.
