Symptoms of Thyroid Problems
Thyroid gland - what is it?
The thyroid is a gland that sits in your neck area and wraps around your wind pipe (trachea). It produces the thyroid hormone - thyroxine which is responsible for managing the metabolic rate in cells. Therefore the main function of the thyroid is to regulate your body's metabolic rate.
Symptoms of thyroid problems
Thyroid problems exist if you have too much or too little thyroid hormone being produced.
Symptoms of over productive thyroid - hyperthyroidism
An overactive thyroid gland would result in too much thyroid hormone being produced and would in effective speed up your metabolic rate.
- weight loss despite the same amount of food being consumed
- paradoxically, some people actually gain weight because they eat all the time to satisfy the increase metabolic needs of the body
- feeling hot all the time
- feeling hungry all the time
- heart palpitations and a fast heart rate
- feeling irritable
- sleeplessness
- hand tremors
- 'gold fish eyes' - a marked number of patients with an overactive thyroid have eyes which look like they are about to 'pop' out of their sockets.
- goitre - swelling of the thyroid gland.
Symptoms of underactive thyroid - hypothyroidism
An underactive thyroid gland would result in too little thyroid hormone being produced and would in effective lower your metabolic rate.
- Tiredness
- weight gain despite unchanged food consumption
- course, dry hair and skin
- feeling cold all the time
- constipation
- depression
- muscle cramps
- low sexual libido
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Symptoms of thyroid problems
