8 Common Thyroid Dysfunctions and What Causes Them
The thyroid is a gland inside of our necks,
just below the Adam’s apple (in men), which is an incredibly important
part of our endocrine (hormonal) system that helps regulate our
metabolism, manages protein synthesis, growth and more. Of course, just
because it affects mainly physiological processes in the body doesn’t
mean it ends there, as energy production through metabolism has a
profound effect on our brains.
Source: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGR
Around one in eight people have a thyroid
disorder. Of these, a majority are unaware they have it, and a huge
majority are women. Why are women more susceptible? Because most thyroid
disorders are caused by autoimmune diseases, which disproportionately
affect women. Because thyroid problems often have numerous nonspecific
symptoms, they are very easily misdiagnosed.
1. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a disorder that manifests
in reduced activity in the thyroid gland. Because one of the main
functions of the thyroid is regulating metabolism, an underactive gland
causes slower metabolism. This, in turn, may cause inexplicable
weight-gain, loss of appetite, constipation, dry and flaky skin, hair
thinning, sensitivity to cold and depression.
In developing countries, the leading cause for hypothyroidism is a lack
of dietary iodine, while in developed countries, hypothyroidism is
typically associated with an autoimmune disease.
2. Hyperthyroidism
As you can probably tell by the name, this condition is the opposite of
hypothyroidism and describes an overactive thyroid gland.
Unsurprisingly, the symptoms of hyperthyroidism are nearly an exact
mirror image of hypothyroidism: weight loss that is not tied to diet or
activity and paired with an increased appetite, frequent diarrhea,
irritability, confusion, an increased heartbeat, hand tremors, heat
intolerance, sleep disorders, and mood swings.
Like hypothyroidism, the chief culprit behind hyperthyroidism are
autoimmune diseases, and so it affects females to a much greater extent
than men, but it also appears to be hereditary and can be caused by too
much iodine in the diet.
3. Goiter 
Rather than a thyroid disorder in and of itself, goiter is a symptom of
other thyroid diseases. Goiter is a swelling of the neck due to an
enlarged thyroid gland which can be caused by any thyroid disorder, but
not having goiter doesn’t rule out a thyroid disorder.
It can present itself as a slight swelling of the neck, as a
grapefruit-size globular swelling, or as several smaller balls in the
neck. Goiter is typically painless, but a large goiter can make eating
and breathing difficult.
4. Thyroid storm
Thyroid storm is a rare and life-threatening complication of an
overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), which causes high fever, vomiting,
and hypertension in early stages, followed by dramatically low blood
pressure and circulatory shock in later stages. Thyroid storm could
result in heart failure or heart attack.
Thyroid storm could be triggered by any number of conditions that aren’t
related to the thyroid, such as blood poisoning, fever, dehydration and
more. People are at larger risk of a thyroid storm if they leave their
hyperthyroidism untreated or if they discontinue their hyperthyroidism
treatment.
5. Hashimoto’s disease 
Perhaps the leading cause of hypothyroidism in the west is Hashimoto’s
disease, an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to actively
attack the thyroid gland. Though this may cause swelling in the thyroid
(and goiter as a result), the overall effect is a gradual shrinking of
the thyroid until its destruction.
As an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s disease is more common among
people who suffer from other autoimmune diseases, specifically type 1
diabetes, celiac disease, vitiligo, and alopecia, but it is also genetic
and could be inherited.
6. Graves’ Disease 
Another autoimmune disease, Graves’ is the most common cause behind
hyperthyroidism and can be initially triggered by stress, infection or
childbirth. Additional symptoms of Graves’ are discolored, swollen shins
with lesions or nodules, as well as eyes that bulge out.
Much like Hashimoto’s, people suffering from a preexisting autoimmune
disease are more likely to develop Graves’ disease, and conversely,
those with Graves’ are more likely to develop unrelated autoimmune
conditions. There also appears to be a genetic factor.
7. Thyroid nodules 
The most common thyroid problem and the cause of the least concern are
nodules in the thyroid gland. These can be asymptomatic and
imperceptibly small or present as lumps in the throat. In the case of
goiter, one or more lumps are indicative of nodules. Only 5% of thyroid
nodules are malign.
Problems swallowing or speaking and a hard, immobile lump are more
indicative of malignancy, while a family history of autoimmune diseases
and thyroid conditions accompanied by a nodule that is soft and painful
are all signs of the nodule being benign.
Thyroid nodules are extremely common, with about 50% of people having a
nodule at some point in their life. Other thyroid conditions, such as
Hashimoto’s and Graves’ will often cause nodules as well.
8. Thyroid cancer
Source: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRMost types of thyroid cancer have an excellent prognosis and are very
manageable, as they do not tend to metastasize. Though not overly
common, diagnosed cases are on the rise, but that may very well be due
to better detection, rather than the cancer being on the rise.
The lack of detection in the past may be due to a lack of complaints
from patients, who did not realize something was wrong to begin with.
There are four types of thyroid cancer:
Papillary
Follicular
Medullary
Anaplastic.
Of those, only anaplastic thyroid cancer, which is an extremely rare,
fast-acting and metastasizing type of cancer, is of great concern. For
the other three types of cancer, the survival rate over five years is
90% and 84% over ten years.