The thyroid is one of the most important glands in our body. It controls almost all the functions of our body and interacts with all the hormones. It manages metabolism of the foods we eat and regulates our sleep pattern. It also plays an important role in managing our weight, mood swings, and anxiety. Sadly, over 32 per cent of Indians suffers from various types of thyroid disorders including thyroid nodules, hyperthyroidism, goiter, thyroiditis and thyroid cancer.

Let us understand the main thyroid problem symptoms so that you can take precautionary measures to cope up with the disease in early stage:

Hyperthyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a disorder in which the thyroid gland over produces hormones. More prevalent in girls than in boys, it leads to an increased heart rate, irregular periods, and high blood pressure. It is most commonly caused due to Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder. Other causes of these thyroid problem symptoms include the presence of tumours in the ovaries, an excess of iodine in the diet and inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism

• Severe weakness, wasting, extremely high fever with ‘thyroid storm’ - a rare but a severe, potentially life-threatening complication of hyperthyroidism
• Weight loss, tremors, elevated plasma levels of the thyroid hormones, and protrusion of one or both eyeballs (exophthalmos)
• Excessive sweating
• Lack of tolerance for heat
• Palpitation, breathing difficulty, weakness, diarrhoea, or increased frequency of bowel movements.

Hyperthyroidism can affect all the systems of our body - however, the most important signs and symptoms are related to the cardiovascular (heart) and neuropsychiatric (nerve- emotional) system.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormones. It leads to clinical signs of thyroid deficiency - low metabolic rate, weight disorders (obesity), sleepiness, and sometimes myxoedema, a relatively hard swelling of the subcutaneous tissue characterised by thickening of the skin, blunting of the senses and intellect, including laboured speech.

Hypothyroidism affects about 10 per cent of women worldwide - and about 3-5 per cent of the general population. It often goes unnoticed - even though it makes one feel persistently weak and tired.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

The symptoms of hypothyroidism are often present for years before a diagnosis is made. This is often due to the fact that thyroid problem symptoms are frequently imprecise and blurred and/or attributed to non-specific causes.

• Muscular pain, menstrual problems, and hair loss
• Physical and mental sluggishness
• A general sense of tired feeling, or lethargy
• Impaired hearing, loss of sensation and constipation
• Angina (chest pain), including heart failure.

Your doctor will look into your typically characteristic dry, scaly, cold and thickened skin - this is called as ‘strawberries-and-cream’ facial appearance; or, pale expression.

• Thin lips with a light purple appearance
• A foul odour emanating from the mouth
• Scalp hair may be coarse or brittle
• There may be bald spots
• The pulse is often slow

Blood pressure may be a bit low. It may, sometimes, be normal, or elevated, with electroencephalograph (EEG) changes. EEG is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of your brain.

For treating both the thyroid types, early detection is a key. If you experience any of the thyroid problem symptoms discussed above, make sure you ask your doctor about a simple blood test called a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test that can detect a thyroid gland gone haywire. You may then treat it with homeopathy which provides safe, effective, and long-term solution for the problem.