Approximately 11% of Indian adults suffer from hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones to meet the needs of the body. This makes your metabolism slow down. It is also called underactive thyroid. This condition is more prevalent in women than in men, especially among women of child-bearing age.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism are often vague and non-specific, commonly confused as signs of aging, menopause, depression, vitamin deficiencies, diabetes etc. This often leads to missed or delayed diagnosis.
Common symptoms of hypothyroidism are listed in the table below:
|
Symptoms of primary hypothyroidism |
|
|
General |
Fatigue, Hoarse Voice |
|
Cardiac |
Bradycardia, Diastolic Hypertension, Pericardial effusion |
|
Gastrointestinal |
Weight gain, Decreased appetite, Abdominal distension, Constipation |
|
Neuromuscular |
Increased Sensitivity to cold, Low Mood, Impaired Cognition, Paraesthesia (pins and needles), Peripheral neuropathy, Non-specific muscle weakness or pain, Joint pain, Delayed relaxation of deep tendon reflexes |
|
Reproductive |
Irregular menstrual cycle and menorrhagia, Infertility or subfertility |
|
Skin And Appearance |
Dry, flaking, thickened skin, Goitre, Reduced sweating, Yellow Complexion, Facial Swelling, Particularly of the eyelids, Brittle nails, Coarse hair, Hair loss, Particularly of the eyebrows |
Table sourced from The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, June 2021, Vol 306, No 7950;306(7950)::DOI:10.1211/PJ.2021.1.88261
In cases of congenital hypothyroidism, babies may show fussiness, sleep and feeding issues but since these are unspecified symptoms, most newborns are subjected to a blood test at 5 days of age.
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