Gaining Weight? Feeling Tired? Maybe Your Thyroid is to Blame

Thyroid disease is more common than you might expect: More than 12 percent of Americans will experience it at some point in their lives, according to the American Thyroid Association.

And, unfortunately, "up to 60 percent of those with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition," the association states.  So, we turned to Endocrinologist Jason Sloane, MD, of Slocum-Dickson Medical Group, for a Q & A on thyroid disease:

Q: What does the thyroid do?

A: The thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped organ located in the front of the neck.  For a small gland, it is responsible for a great number of actions in the body.  In fact, thyroid hormone regulates the function of almost every organ system.  The major targets of thyroid hormone action are bone, heart, and metabolism/body weight.

Q: What are the most common thyroid disorders?

A: The most common thyroid disorder is hypothyroidism or not having enough thyroid hormone.  Hypothyroidism is present in 1-2 percent of the population.  Hypothyroidism is 5-8 times more likely in women than men.  The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune condition.  Autoimmune means that the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland and eventually destroys it.

Q: What symptoms should patients look for?

A: Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, constipation, and menstrual irregularities.  There might also be swelling in the neck.  Keep in mind though that fatigue and weight gain can be symptoms of many other medical conditions so having these symptoms does not definitively mean you have hypothyroidism.

Q: How are thyroid disorders diagnosed?

A: The best way to diagnose any thyroid disorder is by doing blood work.  The blood tests that a doctor might order would be thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free T4, and total T3.  Usually TSH, the signal coming from the brain to tell the thyroid gland to make more or less thyroid hormone, is sufficient to diagnosis most cases of hypothyroidism.  In the case of hypothyroidism this level is elevated.  Free T4 and total T3 are measures of the actual amount of thyroid hormone in your body.

Q: Who is most likely to experience a thyroid disorder?

A: Those most likely to have hypothyroidism are women (commonly age 40 -60, but can occur at any age), people with a family history of thyroid disease, people with a history of any autoimmune condition such as type 1 diabetes, people who take certain medications for other medical conditions such as chemotherapy or amiodarone, and people who have had radiation to the head or neck area.