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List of Thyroid Symptoms

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that releases hormones and thereby regulates metabolism. Metabolism is the way your body uses food for energy and, since the regulation of metabolism affects every cell in your body, including your heart and brain, an untreated thyroid problem can have a profound impact on your health and quality of life. It can be a life-threatening condition. There are many disorders of the thyroid, caused by a variety of problems. Common disorders are hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, goiters and nodules on the thyroid.

  1. Hyperthyroidism

    • In hyperthyroidism, the thyroid revs your body too high. Even if you eat more, you might still lose weight. You might feel too hot, and sweat more. You might experience restlessness, jumpiness, irritability and insomnia. Your eyes might become more prominent and bulge. Vision problems such as seeing double can occur. Chest pain or palpitations and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing can occur. You might have more bowel movements or muscle weakness. Women can have irregular periods; men may suffer erectile dysfunction. One of the several causes of hyperthyroid symptoms are nodules on the thyroid and a condition called Grave's disease.

    Hypothyroidism

    • In hypothyroidism, there is not enough thyroid hormone, so the body's metabolism slows. You can feel this in weakness, fatigue, decreased libido, weight gain and difficulty losing weight. Additionally, your hair can turn coarse and dry and start to fall out. Your skin also becomes dry and rough, and your pallor might pale. The cold might be difficult to take. You might become depressed and have memory loss. Irritability is another sign. Muscle cramps and aching, abnormal menstrual cycles and constipation can occur. You may have any number of these symptoms, especially depending on how long you have gone without treatment. Sometimes a person ignores ongoing symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, not realizing they have an underlying disorder.

    Goiters

    • An enlarged thyroid is known as a goiter and can occur with either hyper- or hypothyroidism. As goiters grow, they make the neck look larger, swollen or bulging. They can make swallowing difficult and can disrupt sleep, also causing coughing. Since goiters are also caused by other problems besides hypo- or hyperthyroidism--problems such as thyroid cancer or a lack of iodine in the diet--it's important to see your doctor for advice.

    Thyroid Cancer

    • Nodules on the thyroid that turn out to be malignant may cause no thyroid symptoms. These nodules are, however, often distinct from the 90 to 95 percent of benign nodules in that the malignant growths tend to be firmer. Thyroid cancer is usually found during routine screenings.

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