Hypothyroidism Treatment and Management

An imbalance of the thyroid hormone within the human system is known as hypothyroidism – it could be caused by problems in the thyroid or pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and quite often due to an iodine deficiency, and hypothyroidism treatment and management is required to be tailored accordingly.hypothyroidism-treatment

Hypothyroidism is characterized by fatigue, poor muscle tone, intolerance to cold, reduction of sweating, coarse hair and nails, cramps, dry skin, weight gain, water retention and slowing down of the heart rate.

Hypothyroidism treatment is usually required to be lifelong (except in some cases), and may depend upon the underlying reason for the condition, age of patient, the hormone levels, and the presence of other medical conditions and so on.

If for instance the condition has occurred due to iodine deficiency, then the hypothyroidism treatment could be as simple as replacing common salt with iodized salt, eating seafood and other produce that has been grown in iodine rich soil.

In cases where the condition is mild (known as sub clinical hypothyroidism) there may not be any requirement for an actual hypothyroidism treatment other than regular monitoring.

However if other conditions such as pregnancy, high cholesterol, goiter and others coexist with the subclinical hypothyroidism, then treatment may be indicated.

Those who suspect that they have symptoms that could mean hypothyroidism can undergo asimple blood test at the doctor’s clinic to confirm/negate this suspicion.

Also sometimes the symptoms of this condition could be subtle and not that easy to pick out; so a doctor’s assessment of the situation becomes vital. After gauging the one hormone levels and other medical conditions, an appropriate hypothyroidism treatment can be initiated.

The recommended hypothyroidism treatment for patients with overt hypothyroidism, i.e. those who display clear symptoms of the condition and also show high TSH (thyrotropin) level and low thyroxine (T4) levels, is Thyroid Replacement Therapy.

Depending upon the kind of hormone used, a person will be required to take daily or twice a day dosages of artificial hormones. What is important to know about hypothyroidism treatment, is that among older patients, the thyroid replacement therapy, could result in an aggravation of heart disease or other heart related condition.

Also if a person did not know that they had heard disease, initiation of hypothyroidism treatment may bring it to light. So people with heart disease or those known to be at high risk of heart disease should be started out with lower dosages of the thyroid replacement therapy.