Hashimoto?s disease (by Japanese surgeon; Hashimoto, Hakaru 1881-1934) is a chronic thyroiditis. It is characterized by the production of autoantibodies that attack the thyroid. This will eventually cause a lack of thyroid hormone, thyroid fibrosis, and infiltration of thyroid tissue by lymphoid tissue. Hashimoto?s disease is also a common cause of a goiter. A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. It becomes clearly visible as a swelling on the front part of the neck because the thyroids tends to grow 2 to 5 times bigger than normal. Hashimoto?s disease is also called Hashimoto?s struma, Hashimoto?s thyroiditis, or struma lymphomatosa.
In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone or the body does not use the hormone properly. The thyroid hormone affects almost every cell in the body. An estimated 85% of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers also have hypothyroidism. Some doctors even estimate that as high as 40% of the general U.S. population suffers from below-optimal thyroid function, making it a hidden epidemic. Iodine and selenium are important for thyroid function. Most people get enough iodine from the food they eat. This is not necessarily the case with selenium. Even a mild selenium deficiency may contribute to the development of autoimmune thyroid diseases. The toxin MSG also contributes to hypothyroidism by damaging the hypothalamus of the brain, which indirectly causes reduced thyroid production. Fluoride is another toxin that strains the thyroid.
Treatment for hyperthyroidism is undertaken in the form of a process. There is the need for suppressive thyrostatics medication initially and then later and more permanent treatment like surgery or radioisotope surgery. These courses of treatment may lead to a deficit in the functioning of the thyroid, which can be counterbalanced with a supplementation of levothyroxine. Temporary medical therapy includes the use of drugs that check the production levels of thyroid hormones. These drugs are called thyrostatics of which carbimazole and methimazole are the two most widely pronounced. However a third option should be made possible and patients can use propylthiouracil. The drugs use thyroperoxidase to inhibit the iodination of thyroglobulin. Large doses of thyrostatics can lead to symptoms of hypothyroidism.
The thyroid gland sits under the skin at the front of the neck directly below the Adam’s apple around the area of a tie knot. It is a rather small gland and is binary in structure which means it has two lobes which are positioned on both sides of the trachea. The lobes can either be compared to a teaspoon or the wings of a butterfly. The colour of the thyroid gland is a deep red, close to brown. |