Dear Doctor, What kind of #thyroid disorders and diseases are out there? How common and treatable are they? Dear Patient, That’s a great question. There are two different categories of thyroid disorders—functional disorders, which affect how the thyroid produces thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism—underproduction, and hyperthyroidism—overproduction), and structural disorders, which cause abnormalities to the gland itself (such as goiter, lumps, and thyroid cancer). Functional disorders may cause a person to feel depressed, fatigued, and have associated weight gain (hypothyroidism), or cause irritability, nervousness, and weight loss (hyperthyroidism). Hypothyroidism, or the underproduction of thyroid hormone, occurs in about 4.6% of the U.S. population, while hyperthyroidism, the overproduction of thyroid hormone, is a bit more rare—occurring in about 1% of the U.S. population. Thyroid cancer is currently increasing in incidence. The reasons for this are currently unknown. Luckily, thyroid disease is very treatable. Many patients with thyroid disease, particularly those with abnormal thyroid hormone production, are treated without surgery, using medications or radioactive iodine. The course of treatment is dependent on the specific problem. Dr. Shaghayegh Aliabadi-Wahle specializes in treatment of thyroid cancer and works in the Gastrointestinal and Minimally Invasive Surgery Division. Learn more about Dr. Shaghayegh Aliabadi-Wahle at goo.gl/os7xvO
Posted on: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 16:25:24 +0000
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