[이데일리 이순용 기자] The rainy season started in Jeju, and the full-scale heat started in the inland with the highest midday temperature hovering around 30 degrees Celsius. If you feel lethargy, chronic fatigue, and even a lot of cold for no apparent reason in this hot weather, you need to suspect a thyroid disease.
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located in the center of the front of the neck that produces thyroid hormone, which plays an important role in maintaining body temperature and the balance of body metabolism, and produces calcitonin, which acts on bones and kidneys to lower blood calcium levels. It is an endocrine organ that secretes
According to the statistics of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients who visited the hospital for hypothyroidism increased by more than 20% over the past five years, from 502,249 in 2016 to 608,934 in 2020. The number of 12,294 patients accounted for 83.5%, which is more than five times that of male patients.
The most common causes of hypothyroidism are autoimmune thyroiditis, thyroid resection, and brain problems. In particular, in the case of women, hormonal changes are greater than men due to menstruation or pregnancy, and since these changes in female hormones also affect the secretion of thyroid hormones, it is understood that the incidence rate is higher than that of men.
The main symptoms of hypothyroidism are chronic fatigue caused by decreased production of hormones in the thyroid gland and decreased metabolic function throughout the body. Required heat generation and basal metabolic rate are lowered, so you get cold even on hot summer days, and in the case of women, symptoms such as menstrual irregularity may appear.
Hypothyroidism can be diagnosed by performing a blood test and measuring the concentration of thyroid hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone in the blood if hypothyroidism is suspected through consultation with a specialist.
As a treatment method, the decreased thyroid function can be normalized by taking thyroid hormone preparations. In addition, it may be helpful to improve lifestyle habits such as frequent intake of fiber-rich vegetables and fruits along with adequate water intake and moderate exercise.
Ki-Hwan Kwon, director of the Thyroid Center at Dain Otolaryngology Hospital (Hospital Director Ha-Chun Park), specializing in otolaryngology, said, “The majority of patients with hypothyroidism do not have clear symptoms in the early stages and are not aware of it because it progresses slowly.” “Hypothyroidism is a heart disease It can cause complications such as hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis, so it is important to find and treat it early through regular checkups,” he added.
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