IT'S THYROID AWARENESS MONTH

A Healthy Life Starts with a Healthy Thyroid

By Alexis D. Washington
TRICARE Management Activity

January 25, 2010

            January is Thyroid Awareness Month and according to the American Thyroid Association, about 20 million people in the United States have some form of thyroid disease, most of them women. The thyroid gland is a key component in setting the body's metabolism-how the body gets energy from foods.

            The thyroid is a small gland located in the neck, just above the collarbone and wrapped around the windpipe. The hormones triidothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), produced by the thyroid help oxygen travel through blood to all of the body's tissues. Thyroid hormones affect every organ in the body by telling them how fast or slow they should work.

            With thyroid diseases the body uses energy more slowly or quickly than it should. A slow or less active thyroid, called hypothyroidism, is the most common. The body consumes less oxygen and produces less body heat. The symptoms include:

Fatigue
Mental depression
Sluggishness
Feeling cold
Weight gain
Dry skin and hair
Constipation
Menstrual irregularities

An overactive thyroid causes hyperthyroidism and speeds up the body's metabolism. This occurs in about 1 percent of all women and mostly affects women between the ages 20 and 40, but men can also develop this condition. The most common form of hyperthyroidism is known as Graves' disease. The symptoms can include:

Muscle weakness
Trembling hands
Rapid heartbeat
Fatigue
Weight loss
Diarrhea or frequent bowel movements
Irritability and anxiety
Vision problems (irritated eyes or difficulty seeing)
Menstrual irregularities
Intolerance to heat and increased sweating
Infertility

Other types of thyroid diseases include:

Goiter - an enlarged thyroid
Thyroid nodules - lumps in the thyroid gland
Thyroid cancer - malignant thyroid nodules or tissue
Thyroiditis - inflammation of the thyroid

There are many causes of and treatments for thyroid diseases, learn more at www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thyroiddiseases.html . If you have any of these symptoms or a family history of thyroid disease, talk to your primary care provider concerning your thyroid health.