What is an underactive thyroid?

DW (English)

Thyroid hormones affect many processes in your body, including metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate, and even digestion. That’s the topic of our Tomorrow Today viewer question from Shugofa A. in Afghanistan.

Transcript

00:00What happens if you have an underactive thyroid gland?

00:07Let's first check out what a thyroid gland looks like.

00:10It's shaped like a butterfly and has two lobes.

00:16Along with storing iodine, it also produces hormones like thyroxine.

00:21Thyroid hormones help control many processes in your body,

00:25including growth in children, metabolism, and regulating heat conservation and heat loss in your cells.

00:32Thyroid hormones can dilate the blood vessels, affect your blood pressure, and even make your heart beat faster.

00:40They help prevent bone loss called osteoporosis.

00:44Thyroid hormones also play an important role in kidney, gut, and liver function.

00:50So the thyroid gland is a hard worker, and thyroid disease can cause all sorts of problems.

00:58An underactive thyroid is generally caused by an infection.

01:02Iodine deficiency can also weaken the thyroid.

01:08As a result, it doesn't produce enough thyroid hormones.

01:12Their production is regulated by a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain.

01:18If the thyroid gland is weakened, the pituitary gland tries to signal it to maintain normal thyroid hormone levels.

01:25But that only works to a point, and eventually the pituitary gland can no longer compensate.

01:35A blood test can show whether you have an underactive thyroid gland.

01:44Certain medications can help treat an underactive thyroid, but they have to be taken every day.

01:52To protect your thyroid gland, it's a good idea to make sure you have enough iodine in your diet.

01:58Iodized salt can help, and so can dairy products, as well as seafood such as salmon.

02:06If you start gaining weight, even though you're not eating more than usual,

02:11if you're constantly tired and feel cold easily, your thyroid gland might be to blame.

02:18It might not be producing enough of those crucial hormones.

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