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Jessica Papenfuss
Professor Staker
Biology 1010
21 April 2016

Conditions of the Thyroid

The thyroid can be a silent killer. You might not have realized this, but
an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease.
Making this even worse is the fact that 60% of those suffering with a thyroid
problem arent aware of their condition. (American Thyroid Association)
To give you some background on this, the thyroid is the gland in the
body that regulates hormones. It plays a huge role in metabolism and
energy, our moods, anxiety, and weight gain or loss. In order to understand
what is going on with the body its important to know the structure of our
thyroid and the hormones which are involved. Its also important to
understand the conditions of the thyroid: hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism,
goiter, and thyroid cancer. If the 60% of the 20 million Americans mentioned
above were aware of their condition, more people be receiving treatment and
would have their overall health improved dramatically.
The thyroid is a gland that has two lobes which are connected by an
isthmus in the Adams apple of our neck. Normal thyroid glands contain
colloid in its vesicles. Colloid contains and iodine protein thyrogolubulin.

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Thyrogolublin

is

combination

of

the

two

hormones

throxine/tetraiodothyronine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The Funk and

Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia states, Thyroxine and triiodothyronine,
are sometimes referred to individually or collectively as thyroid hormones,
which stimulate oxygen consumption by cells and help regulate metabolism
and growth." These hormones are very important as the iodine which is
stored in the thyroid is pumped to make the hormones T3 and T4. These
hormones are then sent through our bloodstream to help regulate the
body's metabolic functions such as heat generation, and the utilization of
carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. In children, thyroid hormones are
responsible for growth and development. When the thyroid makes too many
or too few hormones problems arise and the body doesnt function normally.
Hyperthyroidism or Graves' disease is a disorder where the thyroid puts
out too many hormones. This disorder is most common in women but can
affect men. The causes of hyperthyroidism may arise when an immune
system isn't working right, or when another substance in our body is causing
the thyroid to make too many hormones. Some symptoms that patients may
have include: fatigue, shakiness, weight loss, and high pulse. Patients
wondering if they have this disorder will need blood tests to determine if
their thyroid is over active. If the results are conclusive, thyroid drugs will be
prescribed to lower the production rate of the thyroid. It can take from
several weeks up to a year for this to work, and there are different doses that
patients can try to adjust their thyroid hormone production rate. This

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condition may last until the thyroid becomes more regulated or it could last a
lifetime. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent hyperthyroidism because
this can be a hereditary condition.
Hypothyroidism is a condition when the thyroid doesn't make enough
hormones to keep the body functioning correctly. The thyroid isn't able to
sustain its metabolism so symptoms result from the metabolism being too
slow. The estimates vary, but approximately 10 million Americans have this
common medical condition." (Norman, James MD). These ten million
Americans have two main causes for hypothyroidism: inflammation of the
thyroid gland or medical surgeries involving the thyroid. Hypothyroidism can
be diagnosed with a simple blood test which checks the TSH and T4 hormone
levels. If the T4 hormone level is low it determines that the patient has
hypothyroidism, and a pill called Levothyroxine is prescribed.

Dr. Norman

James states, This medication is a pure synthetic form of T4 which is made

in a laboratory to be an exact replacement for the T4 that the human thyroid
gland normally secretes. In most treated cases, hypothyroidism can be kept
at normal levels with a pill taken for the remainder of a patients lifetime.
Another condition regarding the thyroid is a goiter. Goiters results from an
enlarged thyroid (which usually occurs when there is an iodine deficiency).
The thyroid gland is used to hold the iodine in place so that hormones can be
created, but when a goiter occurs its because the pituitary gland is sending
signals to the thyroid that more hormones are needed to function correctly.
Consequently, the hormones continue to build up in the thyroid and cause

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the thyroid to enlarge to an abnormal size. The Goiters treatment depends
upon the condition of the thyroid. If the goiter is from an iodine deficiency,
iodine supplements can be given to reduce the size, but unfortunately the
goiters condition will not completely go away. The Goiters condition that
comes from hypothyroidism can be given a thyroid hormone supplement to
balance out the thyroid levels. This supplement may not reduce the thyroid
in size but it will prevent it from getting any larger. With hyperthyroidism
radioactive iodine is given to decrease the size or can make the goiter
completely disappear. Surgery to remove the goiter is not very common
because doctors recommend supplements or radioactive iodine depending
on the thyroid's condition.
Unfortunately, another problem regarding the thyroid is thyroid cancer.
Luckily, thyroid cancer is usually found in time for it to be treated. WebMD
states, But like other cancers, changes in the DNA of your cells seem to play
a role. These DNA changes may include changes that are inherited as well as
those that happen as you get older." Thyroid cancer can be genetic or can be
caused by too much exposure to radiation. Thyroid cancer has several
symptoms which include: swelling in the neck, pain in the neck, trouble
swallowing, trouble breathing, and a hoarse voice. This cancer is treated with
surgery and radioactive iodine. Surgeons can remove the thyroid and the
cancer, which means the patient will be on hormone replacement
supplements for the rest of their life. Unfortunately, thyroid cancer can

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reoccur, but medical practices treating thyroid cancer are continuing to
improve.
It is clear that better education is needed to stop this silent killer. With 20
million people suffering from some form of thyroid disease, this is now more
important than ever. Whether a person has hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism,
goiter, and thyroid cancer, they all can be treated. However, most people
don't know the symptoms which is why early education is so crucial. If more
people knew of their condition they could quickly improve the quality of their
life.

Works Cited

American Thyroid Association. General Information/Press Room. ATA.

Web. 21 April 2016.
Emedicinehealth. Thyroid Hormones. emedicinehealth. Web. 21 April
2016
Developed by, R. (2013). Hyperthyroidism (High Thyroid Level). CRS Adult Health Advisor, 1.

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Norman,

James.

Hypothyroidism:

Too

Little

Thyroid

Hormone.

Endocrineweb. Web. 4/11/16.

(Thyroid Gland 2016, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia)
WebMD. Thyroid Cancer. Web MD. 14 November 2014.