The thyroid glands are the small butterfly shaped glands located in the lower part of the neck whose main function is to secrete thyroid hormones to supply energy to the cells of the body and regulate the growth and metabolism in our body. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland is not able to produce enough thyroid hormones. The lack of thyroid hormone secretion can be fatal to the body. Most of the people especially older people suffer from this disease and many people are not aware of the symptoms and hence fail in detecting this problem.

The risk of getting this increases with age and women are at a higher risk of getting affected. In rare cases, this disease is seen in children and infants. The most common symptoms include swollen face, tendency towards cold, hoarse voice, joint pain, and choking sensation, loss of hair and shortness of breath. The other symptoms include low body temperature, dizziness, constipation, extreme tiredness or fatigue and depression. The main causes for hypothyroidism are increased toxin levels in our body, Iodine deficiency, a few drugs, and external radiation used to treat cancer, radioactive iodine treatment.

Consult your doctor immediately once you feel the symptoms mentioned. It is the best and the only way of getting treatment for hypothyroidism. There are different ways of treating hypothyroidism. If it is severe, the doctor may ask start with less medication and increase gradually. Sometimes the thyroid hormones are replaced in the body with synthetic hormones such as levothyroxine, liothyronine and liotrix. It is often treated by replacing sufficient amount into your body to bring T4 and TSH levels to normal. Gradual increase in the hormone replacement allows your heart to get adjusted to the increase in metabolism rate.

Sometimes support systems such as artificial oxygen supply, assisted ventilation, and fluid replacement may be needed for curing hypothyroidism. A permanent decrease in metabolism may require treatment with thyroxine tablets throughout the life. The surgical treatment of thyroid gland is the most direct method of treatment when it is severe.

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