Hypothyroidism in Adolescents, Adults, and The Elderly Hypothyroidism, commonly referred to as underactive thyroid disease, is a disorder where the thyroid gland in a person’s body slows its production of hormones. This in turn causes a person’s body to create less energy, therefore making that person’s metabolism exceptionally lethargic and unresponsive. Studies show that, over 1/10 of the U.S. population alone suffer from hypothyroidism. There are many different theories on what exactly causes this abnormal malfunction in the thyroid; likewise, there are several different methods one can perform in order to keep his or her thyroid gland operating at a healthy pace. This disease is most commonly recognized in older patients, especially women;
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Most common symptoms in adults include cold intolerance, fatigue, and at times, life-threatening symptoms such as, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and lack of consciousness. Like adolescents, this disease is hard to diagnose in adults because the presentation of the disease can be very hard to detect. Don’t be fooled, this condition can easily be confused with a number of other disorders similar to hypothyroidism and common in adults. Since the disease is permanent, lifelong replacement therapy is therefore required of the patient. All treatments are aimed to monitor and restore the vitals of a patient, while being attentive to the patient’s demands as well as showing empathy for the patient’s family. Still, because the disorder strains heavily on both physical and mental ability, in most cases, psychological and emotional support are advised to be administered towards the patient and his or her family (March, …show more content…
It is important that if such a disorder is contracted, that a patient should seek immediate help and be certain not to ignore the noticeable symptoms. Hypothyroidism may be an incurable disorder, but technology in medicine is always advancing, and doctors are producing newer and enhanced treatments every day. While this research may cause treatment to rise in price, it is important for patients to be informed that once a hypothyroid disorder has been diagnosed, then most prescriptions from there on out are free of cost (Warren,
Most common symptoms in adults include cold intolerance, fatigue, and at times, life-threatening symptoms such as, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and lack of consciousness. Like adolescents, this disease is hard to diagnose in adults because the presentation of the disease can be very hard to detect. Don’t be fooled, this condition can easily be confused with a number of other disorders similar to hypothyroidism and common in adults. Since the disease is permanent, lifelong replacement therapy is therefore required of the patient. All treatments are aimed to monitor and restore the vitals of a patient, while being attentive to the patient’s demands as well as showing empathy for the patient’s family. Still, because the disorder strains heavily on both physical and mental ability, in most cases, psychological and emotional support are advised to be administered towards the patient and his or her family (March, …show more content…
It is important that if such a disorder is contracted, that a patient should seek immediate help and be certain not to ignore the noticeable symptoms. Hypothyroidism may be an incurable disorder, but technology in medicine is always advancing, and doctors are producing newer and enhanced treatments every day. While this research may cause treatment to rise in price, it is important for patients to be informed that once a hypothyroid disorder has been diagnosed, then most prescriptions from there on out are free of cost (Warren,