Are you noticing sudden weight changes or muscle strain or your fatigue is dragging you down every day?

If you notice any of these sudden changes in your body, you should get it checked by your doctor as these symptoms could indicate a brewing thyroid disorder.

The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple. This gland produces an important hormone called thyroid hormone [ TH] which regulates your metabolism.

However, this gland can go haywire sometimes. Any disruption in your thyroid gland can cause various thyroid disorders including, hypothyroidism, goiter, or thyroid cancer. However, the symptoms of thyroid disorders may often go unnoticed.

Therefore, understanding common thyroid disorders and their symptoms is essential to start timely treatment.

Common thyroid disorders and their symptoms

Hypothyroidism

In hypothyroidism, the thyroid doesn’t create and release enough thyroid hormone into your bloodstream. Hypothyroidism is called an underactive thyroid as it can slow down your metabolism.

This condition can start at any age. However, it commonly affects people over the age of 60 years. Moreover, this condition affects women more frequently than men.

The signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism may depend on the severity of hormone deficiency. Problems tend to develop slowly and may take several years for the symptoms to occur.

Early symptoms of hypothyroidism may include weight gain and fatigue. These symptoms become more recognizable as you age, regardless of your thyroid’s health. However, you may not realize that these changes are related to your thyroid as symptoms may not appear instantly. You can develop more obvious symptoms when your metabolism continues to slow down.

Common symptoms of hypothyroidism can include:

• Fatigue: As your body’s metabolism slows down in hypothyroidism, you may experience fatigue.
• Weight gain: When your thyroid makes less of its hormones, your metabolism slows down. You won’t burn calories quickly, and you may gain weight.
• Dry skin:Carotenemia is a condition that can occur in people with hypothyroidism. It can make your skin dry.
• Muscle weakness: Muscle aching and weakness are common in people with hypothyroidism. You may feel muscle weakness, especially in the shoulder and hips.
• Elevated blood pressure levels: Hypothyroidism can weaken your heart muscles or heart rate. This can cause stiffening of muscle walls and raise your blood pressure levels.

If you discover any of these symptoms of hypothyroidism, you should get it checked by your doctor. The diagnosis may be confirmed by a routine blood test.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid that occurs when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone. This condition may occur due to the overproduction of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) hormones.

It is also caused by Graves disease, an auto-immune disease that causes antibodies to stimulate the thyroid to secrete which may cause overproduction of hormones.

High amounts of T3, T4 can cause an excessively high metabolic rate. This is called a hypermetabolic state in which you may experience rapid heart rate or elevated blood pressure.

You may experience other symptoms, including:

• Insomnia: Hyperthyroidism overstimulates your nervous system, so it can make it difficult for you to get quality sleep.
• Emotional extremes: Anxiety or mood swings can occur due to an overactive thyroid.
• Muscle weakness: When you have an overactive thyroid, you may experience muscle stiffness or aches.
• Frequent bowel movements: An overactive thyroid can disturb your gastrointestinal tract and may cause frequent bowel movements.

If you experience unexplained weight loss, rapid heartbeats, or other symptoms, consult your physician immediately as hyperthyroidism could be the cause.

Goiter

Goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland in your neck. It is among the common thyroid disorders in people. Simple goiters are formed when the thyroid gland doesn’t make enough hormones to meet your body’s needs. Moreover, goiters are also caused by a lack of iodine in your diet. These are known as endemic goiters.

The symptoms of goiter may start with the swelling at the front base of the neck. You may notice the formation of small lumps or multiple nodules on one or both sides of your neck.

The other common symptoms of goiter may include:

• The feeling of tightness in the throat area
• Dizziness while raising arms
• Wheezing due to squeezing of the windpipe
• Difficulty swallowing due to squeezing of the food tube

However, if a goiter occurs with hyperthyroidism, you may notice the symptoms of sweating, diarrhea, high blood pressure, weight loss, or muscle weakness. If it happens with hypothyroidism, you may notice the signs of weight gain, dry skin, constipation, or irregular periods.

A goiter may not require any treatment, especially if it is small and you have normal thyroid hormone levels. But if your thyroid hormone levels go up and down, you may need treatment. Treatment generally involves medications to get your thyroid hormones back to normal.

Thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is a common thyroid disorder that usually occurs in the age group of 25-65. This condition is common in people who are exposed to radiation in the head or the neck area.

Thyroid cancer develops in the cells of your thyroid. Thyroid cancer occurs due to genetic changes in the cells. These genetic changes or mutations allow the cells to grow and multiply rapidly.

Moreover, the cells also lose the ability to die. As a result, the accumulating abnormal thyroid cells can form tumors. These cells can damage all the nearby tissue and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.

At first, thyroid cancer may not cause any symptoms. However, it can cause swelling in your neck once it grows.

When it grows, it may cause symptoms like:

• A lump that can be felt through the skin
• Changes in your voice, including increasing hoarseness
• Pain in your neck and throat
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

In its early stage, thyroid cancer may not cause any symptoms. In order to confirm it, you will need a routine check-up or an imaging scan that is used to diagnose other conditions.

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