It can be a common cause of weight gain, fatigue, as well as unexplained aches and pains – and an underactive thyroid has been linked to serious illness, including an increased risk of dementia.
An overactive thyroid is when levels of these hormones are too high, causing symptoms such as palpitations, rapid weight loss, sweating and itching. Other causes include an iodine deficiency, medications such as amiodarone for heart rhythm disorders, and it can also be triggered by viral infections, including Covid-19.
Patients report needing multiple appointments before a diagnosis is made, which takes its toll. As one patient told the Aberdeen researchers: ‘My self-esteem and mental health took a battering...it’s really not good for your head when the doctor infers “there is nothing physically wrong with you, maybe you’re depressed”, but your body just isn’t working properly anymore, you know it, and you know you are not depressed.
‘We are picking up more and more cases, but the threshold for GPs offering treatment for an underactive thyroid has fallen lower over the years,’ says Dr Taylor. Dr Salman Razvi, a consultant endocrinologist and a senior clinical lecturer at Newcastle University, says the problem is partly down to the fact that the definition of ‘normal’ thyroid function is a ‘minefield’. While there is a broad ‘reference range’ for ‘normal’, it isn’t a nationally agreed standard and testing labs sometimes use slightly different ranges — meaning that, theoretically, results and diagnoses may vary depending on where you have the test.
In other words, what’s normal or abnormal for each patient might not be in line with the reference range — and based on their age or general health, some might benefit from treatment at a lower threshold, while others might not need treatment at all, says Dr Razvi. It’s known that having a high TSH level becomes more common as we age — but rather than being a medical problem, this slowing down of our metabolism could be a natural part of ageing and, adds Dr Razvi, ‘may in fact be beneficial as, hypothetically, it could encourage longevity’.
‘We might need to treat younger people a bit more than we are doing — and older people a bit less,’ says Dr Taylor.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: Daily_Record - 🏆 9. / 89 Read more »
Source: TheSun - 🏆 64. / 61 Read more »
Source: TIME - 🏆 93. / 53 Read more »
Source: MetroUK - 🏆 13. / 82 Read more »
Source: MetroUK - 🏆 13. / 82 Read more »
Source: i newspaper - 🏆 8. / 89 Read more »