What Are Thyroid Problems?
Through the hormones it produces, the hyperthyroidism are due to an overproduction of thyroid hormones, but the condition can occur in several ways:
- Hypothyroidism, by contrast, stems from an underproduction of thyroid hormones. Since your body’s energy production requires certain amounts of thyroid hormones, a drop in hormone production leads to lower energy levels. Causes of hypothyroidism include:
- myxedema coma, a rare but potentially fatal condition that requires immediate hormone treatment.
Hypothyroidism poses a special danger to newborns and infants. A lack of thyroid hormones in the system at an early age can lead to the development of cretinism (intellectual disability) and dwarfism (stunted growth). Most infants now have their thyroid levels checked routinely soon after birth. If they are hypothyroid, treatment begins immediately. In infants, as in adults, hypothyroidism can be due to these causes:
- A pituitary disorder
- A defective thyroid
- Lack of the gland entirely
A hypothyroid infant is unusually inactive and quiet, has a poor appetite, and sleeps for excessively long periods of time.
Cancer of the thyroid gland is quite rare and occurs in about 5% of thyroid nodules. You might have one or more thyroid nodules for several years before they are determined to be cancerous. People who have received radiation treatment to the head and neck earlier in life, possibly as a remedy for acne, tend to have a higher-than-normal risk of developing thyroid cancer.