You could have hypothyroidism without knowing it because some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are mild. While older women are more likely than other people to get hypothyroidism, it's still a condition that could affect anyone in the family. You can go to a clinic that specializes in family medicine in Lutz, FL to treat plenty of different medical concerns. Practitioners will recognize the signs of hypothyroidism, giving you the chance to avoid and reduce the short-term and long-term symptoms.
Thyroid Hormone Levels
Hypothyroidism is a relatively simple condition, at least in terms of its underlying mechanism. The body's thyroid gland isn't active enough and fails to create adequate thyroid hormone levels. Thyroid hormones are very important regarding the regulation of a number of internal processes, so a sustained lack of thyroid hormones can have very complicated health consequences.
Your skin will usually be dry if you have hypothyroidism. Dry skin is a common symptom, but this will probably be the sort of persistent skin dryness that can be difficult to address using simple moisturizers. You also might get dry skin all over the body, and people who have eczema and similar skin conditions tend to only get dry patches in specific locations. You'll also probably feel tired all the time if you have hypothyroidism, and this is related to some of its other symptoms.
Energy Expenditure
Many people tend to gain weight when they aren't producing high enough levels of essential thyroid hormones. They won't actually be changing their eating or exercise habits, but they'll put on weight anyway. Some people won't gain much, but other patients can experience significant weight changes, seemingly from nothing.
The fact that it's possible to gain weight under those circumstances might not seem intuitive, which is one of the reasons why some people fail to notice when they have hypothyroidism. They assume that there's still a problem with their eating and exercise habits. However, the body does not just simply burn or store energy. It takes a lot of energy to regulate a person's metabolism.
When a patient has hypothyroidism, the body stores energy that would otherwise be used as part of the body's normal processes. You'll feel cold all the time because your body is storing the energy that should be used to help you keep warm. It's often harder for hypothyroidism patients to concentrate, because their mental energy has also been diverted. You'll be tired all the time for the same reason.
While it might be more difficult to exercise when you have this condition, you might still put on weight even if you do motivate yourself to exercise. Even if you can manage some of the symptoms of the disease yourself, it's still important to take care of the condition itself. It has additional long-term symptoms.
New Illnesses
Some patients will develop heart problems if they don't get their hypothyroidism treated quickly enough. Nerve damage is equally common. Other patients will develop long-term hormonal problems, which can impair fertility or leave patients vulnerable to completely new ailments.
While hypothyroidism isn't usually fatal, it's still possible for the condition to escalate to the point where it can be life-threatening. Physicians can usually prevent all of these issues through the use of hormone replacement therapy regimens, giving patients back the thyroid hormone levels that they've lost.
