Thyroid Disease

The thyroid is a gland that is located below the muscles at the front of the neck. Its job is to create the hormones that control metabolism and growth. It requires iodine from food and water to work. The body contains 50 milligrams of iodine and 1/5 of that is stored in the thyroid. The thyroid helps with bone growth, puberty and many other body functions. They also affect the organs directly, so if the thyroid is not working properly there can be many problems with other body parts.

            Thyroid disease occurs when the thyroid does not supply the sufficient amount of hormones to the body. Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid in which the thyroid produces too many hormones. Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid does not produce enough hormones. 

            Hyperthyroidism seems to speed up the body. It causes nervousness, irritability, increased perspiration, intolerance to heat, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, a fast heartbeat, irregular menstrual periods in girls, and muscle weakness. If a person has the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, they take anti-thyroid medication to stop the production of hormones in the thyroid. It usually goes back to normal in one to two months.

            Hypothyroidism slows down the body. A person may become depressed or sluggish, gain weight; they may have slow growth in height, irregular menstrual periods in girls, muscle weakness, dry skin, hair loss, poor memory, and difficulty concentrating. The treatment is pretty simple with pills and medication. 

 




"Teens Health"
http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/growth/thyroid.html