2023-06-29 23:51:00
[Welfare News]Jeong In-hwa, in her 60s, suddenly felt cold despite being in the summer, and went to the hospital thinking that she was suffering from an air conditioner due to fatigue and lethargy and lack of concentration. By the way, she went to the doctor and she was diagnosed with ‘hypothyroidism’.
The thyroid is an endocrine organ located in the front of the neck. It receives signals from the thyroid-stimulating hormone secreted by the pituitary gland and produces thyroid hormone called thyroxine. This hormone plays a role in maintaining the function of all organs in our body and regulating metabolic rate and energy.
Therefore, ‘hypothyroidism’ is a disease in which the metabolic function is reduced due to the lack of thyroid hormone, which generates heat in the body and regulates the metabolic rate. In other words, due to poor thyroid hormone production, the thyroid hormone in the body is lower than normal or deficient, and the basal metabolic rate is low, resulting in swelling of the body, weight gain, rough skin, and cold symptoms.
According to the 2021 data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, patients in their 50s and 60s are the most common, especially female patients, appearing to occur five times more than men.
The main symptoms are feeling tired easily, feeling cold due to low body temperature, gaining weight even though there is not much food, lethargy, poor concentration, dry hair and skin, and swelling of the face and limbs.
Park Yo-han, a specialist in breast thyroid surgery at H+ Yangji Hospital, said, “Hypothyroidism can be accompanied by complications such as heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis, so be careful. As it progresses, periodic examinations such as health checkups are necessary,” he explained.
Treatment should include thyroid hormone supplementation. In order to return the body’s metabolism to normal, the thyroid hormone, which is essential, is lacking, so the hormone must be filled with medicine. In addition, the dose of the administered drug should be adjusted according to the patient’s condition.
‘Hypothyroidism’ is most often discovered incidentally during a health checkup or hyperlipidemia test, and if the degree of functional decline is not severe, there are not a few cases in which treatment is performed only with follow-up observation for a certain period of time without special treatment. However, if you have a family history or if you have an immune-related disease such as diabetes or a pregnant woman whose disease can affect the fetus, a detailed examination is recommended.
Specialist Park Yo-han said, “It is important for pregnant women to maintain thyroid function because thyroid hormone affects the development of fetal brain nerves. In diabetic patients, when hypothyroidism occurs, glucose is not absorbed and produced well, so the insulin clearance rate decreases, insulin concentration increases, and hypoglycemia occurs. It can happen, so you have to be careful.”
Nutrients and foods that help prevent ‘hypothyroidism’ include beef and chicken that contain zinc that activates thyroid hormones, brown rice (multigrain rice) that is low in carbohydrates and is effective for constipation and weight control, and contains selenium that helps thyroid hormone absorption. It is good to consume nuts, eggs, broccoli, seaweed and dairy products rich in iodine, which are good for restoring thyroid function.
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