Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. It makes hormones that control the way the body uses energy.HYPOTHYROIDISM 😩 is when your thyroid gland doesn’t make and release enough hormone into your bloodstream.
Hypothyroidism is a hypometabolic clinical state resulting from inadequate production of thyroid hormones for prolonged periods, or rarely, from resistance of the peripheral tissues to the effects of thyroid hormones.
The clinical Presentation of hypothyroidism,
Depending upon the age at onset of disorder, hypothyroidism is divided into 2 forms:
1. Cretinism or congenital hypothyroidism is the developmentof severe hypothyroidism during infancy and childhood.
2. Myxoedema is the adulthood hypothyroidism.
Cretinism
The word ‘Cretin’ is derived from the French, meaning Christ-like because these children are somentally retarded that they are incapable of committing sins.
A cretin is a child with severe hypothyroidism present at birth or developing within first two years of postnatal life.This is the period when brain development is taking place;in the absence of treatment the child is both physically and mentally retarded. The word ‘Cretin’ is derived from the French, meaning Christ-like because these children are somentally retarded that they are incapable of committing sins.
What causes Hypothyroidism in children (cretinism)?
The causes of congenital hypothyroidism are as follows:
1. Developmental anomalies e.g. thyroid agenesis and ectopicthyroid.
2. Genetic defect in thyroid hormone synthesis e.g. defect iniodine trapping, oxidation, iodination, coupling and thyroglobulin synthesis.
3. Foetal exposure to iodides and antithyroid drugs leading hypothyroidism
4. Endemic cretinism in regions with endemic goitre due to dietary lack of iodine (sporadic cretinism, on the other hand,is due to developmental anomalies and genetic defects inthyroid hormone synthesis described above).
What are the Signs & Symptoms ?
The clinical manifestations usually become evident within a few weeks to months of birth.
The presenting features of a hypothyroidism in children are are:
- failure to thrive,
- poorfeeding,
- constipation,
- dry scaly skin,
- hoarse cry and bradycardia.
- As the child ages, clinical picture of fullyd developed cretinism emerges characterised by impaired skeletal growth and consequent dwarfism,
- round face, narrow forehead, widely-set eyes, flat and broad nose, big protuberant tongue and protuberant abdomen.
- Neurological features such as deaf-mutism, spasticity and mentaldeficiency are more evident in sporadic cretinism due to developmental anomalies and dyshormonogenetic defects.
- Characteristic laboratory findings include a rise in TSH level and fall in T3 and T4 levels indicating hypothyroidism.
What is Myxoedema?
The adult-onset severe hypothyroidism causes myxoedema.
The term myxoedema denotes non-pitting oedema due to accumulation of hydrophilic mucopolysaccharides in the ground substance of dermis and other tissues.
What are the Causes of Myxoedema?
There are several causes of myxoedema listed below but the first two are the most common causes:
These are the also causes of hypothyroidism in adults
1. Ablation of the thyroid by surgery or radiation.
2. Autoimmune (lymphocytic) thyroiditis (termed primary idiopathic myxoedema).
3. Endemic or sporadic goitre.
4. Hypothalamic-pituitary lesions.
5. Thyroid cancer.
6. Prolonged administration of antithyroid drugs
7. Mild developmental anomalies and dyshormonogenesis
Sign & Symptoms
The onset of myxoedema is slowand a fully-developed clinical syndrome may appear after several years of hypothyroidism.
- fatigue
- The striking features are cold intolerance,
- mental and physical lethargy,
- constipation,slowing of speech and intellectual function,
- puffiness of face,loss of hair and altered texture of the skin.
What are the treatments for hypothyroidism?
The treatment for hypothyroidism is medicine to replace the hormone that your own thyroid can no longer make.Medications like levothyroxine start leveling out your hormones right away. But it usually takes a few weeks to notice an improvement in your symptoms.
Can hypothyroidism be cured?
Currently, there’s no cure for hypothyroidism. But you can successfully manage the condition with hormone replacement therapy.https://www.facebook.com/sciencegajab/
Recommendation
if you are facing any kind of dificiency & experiencing above symptoms
Consult:
- Healthcare provider
- Registered dietitian
- registered Medical officer
