What to Watch for If You Have An Underactive Thyroid
People who suffer from an underactive thyroid could experience a lot of discomfort and pain. However, if the problem is not dealt with, they can even face the possibility of losing their thyroid gland. Symptoms are easy to spot as long as patients know what to keep an eye on. They should talk to their GP as soon as possible. This will mean a doctor prescribing or recommending appropriate treatment, including additional medicines, such as armor thyroid.
If patients do talk to doctors, more drastic outcomes can be avoided. However, that doesn’t mean that there are not some serious complications that the condition can create in a patient’s life.
Cardiovascular issues
This is one of the most serious complications that an underactive thyroid can bring. A problematic thyroid issue can directly impact your cardiovascular health. This can even mean a slow pulse and an irregular heartbeat. While this is not a common complication among all underactive thyroid sufferers, it is one that can occur.
Unfortunately for some thyroid patients, an underactive thyroid can even reduce the amount of blood pumped out by the heart. This can be quite significant, with some patients seeing a 30 to 50% decrease in blood distribution.
On top of this, lowered levels of a thyroid hormone can even lead to heart failure. While these situations are alarming and very worrying for the patient and the family, they can often be treated and potentially avoided. However, it does show that an underactive thyroid is something that needs discussing with your GP as soon as possible.
Renal issues
This is where another major organ, the kidney, is adversely affected by low levels of thyroid hormone. Underactive thyroids can cause a low level of output, which can lead directly to renal issues.
Due to the low levels of the thyroid hormone, a lower amount of blood are delivered to the kidneys. This can mean that the kidney’s functions can be significantly compromised.
You could find that you are less able to absorb sodium, and you could see that you excrete less water than you usually do. These symptoms can be quite serious, so do contact your GP and seek advice and support as soon as you can.
Nervous system issues
An underactive thyroid can even affect the nervous system of a patient. This can cause some alarming changes in the physical aspects of a person’s life.
For example, a patient with the issue can find themselves experiencing some considerable difficulty walking and talking. For a usually healthy and active person, this can be devastating.
Even more alarming, the nervous system damage can run deeper and affect the person’s breathing. This can mean shortness of breath, and some hoarseness when they are trying to talk. This can be quite worrying for people.
Other areas in which an underactive thyroid affects the nervous system include serious pain around the whole body, often in the hands and feet. This is again a nervous system issue.
The way forward
If you have an underactive thyroid, it should be diagnosed by a doctor. If the above complications come, tell the doctor immediately, and they will be able to prescribe effective treatments for you.
Featured Photo by Francisco Venâncio on Unsplash
