Understanding Thyroid Disease in Seniors
What Every Senior in Vancouver, BC, Needs to Know About Thyroid Disease
Thyroid Disease in Seniors can affect their quality of life. The golden years can be an exciting time; it is also a time when bodies age and change. As this happens, we become more susceptible to certain health conditions along the way.
What is Thyroid Disease?
Thyroid disease is a condition that affects the body’s ability to maintain a regular metabolic rate. Many seniors are diagnosed with the disease. This article can provide useful insight into the causes, symptoms, and importance of early detection of thyroid disease.
The Two Types of Thyroid Disease:
Hypothyroidism – The body makes too little thyroid hormone, slowing down the metabolism.
Hyperthyroidism – The body makes too much thyroid hormone, resulting in an accelerated metabolic rate.
Out of the two, hypothyroidism is more common in seniors, though harder to diagnose. This is because the frequency of symptoms decreases with age. As a result, older adults will only have one or two symptoms out of many correlated to hypothyroidism.
The frequency and severity of symptoms depend on how low thyroid hormone levels are. The symptoms can include fatigue, sensitivity to cold, constipation, dry and pale skin, hoarseness, increased cholesterol, unexpected weight gain, stiffness and muscle aches, swelling of joints, and depression.
Thyroid Disease in Seniors – Risk Factors for Developing Hypothyroidism:
- Being a female over 50
- Having a history of autoimmune disease in the family
- Receiving radiation treatment in the upper neck/chest area
- Previously underwent thyroid gland surgery
- Iodine deficiency
Just like hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism can present itself in many ways, making it hard to diagnose, as some symptoms can misleadingly be associated with other health conditions. Again, the age factor can contribute to only one or two symptoms showing in the golden years. To make matters worse, some medications can create side effects similar to the symptoms or even conceal the signs of this disease.
With this in mind, common symptoms of hyperthyroidism include sudden weight loss, fast or irregular heartbeat, increased appetite, anxiety, subtle tremors in hands or the tip of the fingers, increased sweating, changes in the menstrual cycle, sensitivity to heat, changes in bowel patterns, enlargement of the thyroid gland, obvious to the touch, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping.
Thyroid Disease in Seniors – Risk Factors for Developing Hyperthyroidism:
- Having a history of hyperthyroidism in the family
- Being diagnosed with Graves’ or Plummer’s disease
- Developing nodules on the thyroid gland, known as a toxic adenoma
- Experiencing swelling or pain in the thyroid gland
Though as we mentioned, this disease can be quite challenging to diagnose in older adults, when recognized in time and treated properly, thyroid disease can be successfully managed.
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