Thyroid malfunction: Why everyone needs screening

Reasons thyroid disease awareness is important Medical experts say a malfunction of the thyroid can cause the secretion of too much or too little of thyroid hormones, thereby causing the body metabolism to either fasten its activities or slow down.  The hormones need to be just enough for the body to function ultimately. Too much […]

• Reasons thyroid disease awareness is important

Medical experts say a malfunction of the thyroid can cause the secretion of too much or too little of thyroid hormones, thereby causing the body metabolism to either fasten its activities or slow down.  The hormones need to be just enough for the body to function ultimately. Too much or too little of  it leads to a number of malfunction of other organs in the body, they say.

The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland found at the base of the neck. It produces thyroid hormones that travel in the blood to all parts of the body. The hormone controls the body’s metabolism in many ways, including how fast or how slow you burn calories and how fast the heart beats.

Women are more likely to develop a thyroid malfunction. Studies show that one in eight women will develop a thyroid problem during her lifetime.

Thyroid malfunction can manifest in different ways but, the two most common types of thyroid malfunction are hyper and hypo thyroids. Others are thyroid cancer, thyroid nodules goitre, and postpartum thyroiditis, among others.

Hypothyroidism is when the body does not produce enough thyroid hormones. It is also called an under active thyroid. This slows down many body functions like the metabolism. The cause of hypothyroidism is a disease known as Hashimoto’s disease. This is when the immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid. It damages it and causes it not to produce enough hormones.

Symptoms of this include, feeling tired and sluggish, feeling extremely cold when others do not, constipation, muscle weakness, weight gain even though you do not eat much, joint or muscle pain and feeling sad or depressed. Others are feeling pale dry skin, dry thinning hair, slow heart rate, less sweating than usual, puffy face, hoarse voice, heavy bleeding and high bad cholesterol, which leads to high risk of heart disease.

Hyperthyroidism on the other hand is an overactive thyroid. That is when the thyroid gland produces too much hormones than the body needs. The most common cause is what is known as the graves’ disease, which is a general problem with the immune system.

Symptoms include faster metabolism which causes weight loss even when you eat a lot, eating more than usual, rapid or irregular heartbeat or pounding heart, feeling nervous or anxious, feeling irritable, trouble sleeping, trembling in your hands and fingers and increased sweating. Other symptoms are feeling hot when others are not, muscle weakness, diarrhea or bowel movements more than normal, lighter menstrual period and bulging of the eyes, redness or irritation.

According to the American Thyroid Association, more women develop a thyroid malfunction as they approach menopause. Diet too rich or too devoid of certain essential nutrients can also cause thyroid to malfunction.  Stress can also trigger a thyroid malfunction therefore, poverty can also be a major cause of a malfunctioning thyroid.

In Nigeria, thyroid malfunction is usually left undiagnosed or diagnosed late due to the fact that most laboratories hardly have cases of thyroid diseases referred from hospitals, unlike the malaria and typhoid tests which are common. Therefore, most thyroid disease cases are usually termed as spiritual attacks and taken to spiritual homes for prayers. Nigeria generally needs more awareness creation in thyroid malfunction so as to enlighten the populace on the need to do thyroid function test.

In its quest to create the needed awareness, Goldheart Thyroid Awareness Foundation, has made some remarkable strides. Goldheart is a non-profit organisation established in Nigeria to create awareness and encourage everyone to carry out  a thyroid function test.

Goldheart seeks to make thyroid function tests as popular as the malaria and widal tests so as to begin early treatment of the disease. In one of their outreaches in Jos the Plateau State capital, the organization said thyroid  malfunctions, if detected early can prevent a number of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, kidney failures, infertility, depression and suicidal thoughts, irritability, which leads to aggression and conflict, and even death.

The organization said rapid weight loss and bulgy eyes, which are symptoms of  hyperthyroidism have always been mistaken, for HIV and attracted a lot of stigmatization, adding that the North Central geopolitical zone of the country has been discovered to have the highest rate of thyroid malfunction and that it needs a lot of intervention.

Goldheart Thyroid Awareness foundation is a member of Thyroid Federation International, a thyroid organisation based in Canada and has taken time to create awareness among the people of the region. A number of success stories have been recorded but there is still a lot of people living with the disease, but know little or nothing about it.

Commenting on the disease,  a Medical Officer with the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) Dr Alagbe T.  Bunmi, described the thyroid as a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck and that it secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones.

“The main hormone is thyroxine, also called T4. Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature.

“A normal thyroid should not be felt. Many people are not aware of the disease or even know they have a gland in their neck responsible for their body metabolism, they are a lot of myth regarding swelling in the neck  in the society especially for us Africans, most community see thyroid disease  (especially if the individual has neck swelling) as witchcraft. If the general population are not aware of this gland, how do they know they are to even go for routine checkups.”

She said it was important for  everyone over the age of 35 to go for routine screening every five years, and  yearly screening for older patients.

However, certain population of patients, such as those with comorbidities or other autoimmune diseases, should be screened always, the expert said.

She said: “Additionally, women who are having difficulty conceiving should be tested, though universal screening in pregnancy is still debated. I am of the school of thought that all pregnant women, should always be screened for it. For some women the thyroid disease they have was induced or revealed during pregnancy, in fact I have a very close friend in this category.

“Awareness is key to identifying the symptoms, which could be that of hypothyroidism  (too small or little of the hormones produced by the gland) or hyperthyroidism  (too much of the hormone). Both are life threatening,” she said.

She explained that Plateau State needed more awareness, because the state is in the goitre belt of Nigeria, and that most states in the middle belt of Nigeria are in the goitre belt where the topography is high and plants lack iodine because the iodine are believed to have been washed away during the rainy seasons.