Many patients have undiagnosed hypothyroid disease. Are you one of them? You may have some or many of the symptoms of hypothyroid disease and not even know it! If you do it is important you recognize the signs and symptoms of thyroid disease and consult with a health provider as soon as possible.
The signs and symptoms of hypothyroid disease are very similar to other diseases. Fortunately with this handy cheat sheet you can decide whether your symptoms are similar enough to hypothyroid to warrant a trip to your health provider.
Remember however that this cheat sheet is not diagnostic. Only your health provider can diagnose a disease. There may be other underlying conditions that cause many of the symptoms described in this article. If you are unwell it is always important you consult with a professional healthcare provider to achieve your best health.
Common Signs And Symptoms Of Hypothyroidism
Here are the more common signs and symptoms of hypothyroid disease. While these symptoms are also common to many other illnesses, if you do have them you should mention them to your health provider. Hypothyroid disease can be determined in many cases through a simple blood test.
Your health provider can also rule out hypothyroidism by performing a blood test, or can use a thyroid hormone blood test to gain information about other processes occurring in your body. It is always important you consult with your health provider when you are not feeling your best so you can work together as a team to achieve your best health.
1. Fatigue or malaise
2. General feeling of weakness
3. Weight gain or the inability to lose weight despite honest efforts
4. Dry and brittle or coarse hair
5. Hair that is falling out
6. Pale, dry, patchy or rough skin
7. Inability to tolerate cold despite others being able to around you
8. Cramps and aches in muscles
9. Constipation, which is constant or regular and difficult
10. Depression and irritability, or other mood changes
11. Memory loss, confusion, and irritation
12. Abnormal menstrual cycles or absence of menstruation
13. Decreased libido
14. Heart rate changes
15. Shortness of breath
16. Coma in severe cases
17. Joint pain or stiffness
Remember that all patients are different, so some patients may have other symptoms depending on the severity of their disease and the amount of time they have had hypothyroidism. Patients with long-term hypothyroidism may have more severe symptoms. Those with mild hypothyroid disease may have few symptoms or symptoms that are not very apparent.
Some people may have only one or two symptoms, but they may be very troublesome. There are some patients that do not have any symptoms but they may have hypothyroidism. In these cases some patients are accidentally diagnosed by a random blood test during an annual wellness check, although this is less common.
If you have many symptoms, your health provider may need to refer you to a specialist, or an endocrinologist, which is someone who specializes in diseases of the thyroid gland. Other people may prefer to seek the care of a natural specialist, or someone that specializes in naturopathy or natural medicine to care for their thyroid gland. Ultimately the choice is yours. Just be sure you make an educated choice.
Dangers Of Not Treating Hypothyroidism
If you do have symptoms and you leave them untreated, you may develop a condition known as goiter. This is a condition when the thyroid gland becomes overly large because of constantly high levels of TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone which is produced to help compensate for too low levels of other thyroid hormones in the body.
Typically when not treated the symptoms of hypothyroid continue to get worse. There are cases when people do not seem to get worse, however over time some people can develop life-threatening conditions.
Some people are not treated simply with thyroid hormone. They may need to make adjustments to their life. However, overall this can be a positive thing. Make the decision to take charge of your life today, and consider caring for your body in a positive way. Using natural remedies with a balanced diet that is specific to control thyroid function, plus regular exercise can effectively reverse hypothyroidism and keep your thyroid function in balance. This can leave you symptom free and full of energy.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/17-main-symptoms-of-hypothyroid-disease-you-need-to-know-3433946.html
Author: Duncan Capicchiano
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/17-main-symptoms-of-hypothyroid-disease-you-need-to-know-3433946.html
