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Thyroid is a tiny butterfly shaped gland situated in the lower part of your neck or you can say just below your Adams apple. It is composed of two lobes that lie along the trachea and are connected by isthmus, a narrow band of tissues.
The main function of the thyroid gland is to secrete hormones such as triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or T4.
These thyroid hormones are responsible for delivering energy to all the body cells.
The most common health diseases associated with the thyroid gland are Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Goiter, Thyroid Nodules, Thyroid Cancer and Thyroiditis.
Hypothyroidism refers to an under-active thyroid, a condition that destroys the ability of thyroid to release enough thyroid hormones. The major symptoms associated with this thyroid disease include reduced metabolism, fatigue, weight gain and depression.
Hyperthyroidism refers to an overactive thyroid. This is a condition when the thyroid gland produces excess of thyroid hormones and results in fatigue and impaired body functions.
Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that is mainly caused due to nutritional deficiencies. This defect in the thyroid sometimes results in the formation of lump, bumps, cysts and tumors. This condition is known as thyroid nodules. A very small percentage of these thyroid nodules are cancerous and can result in malignant cancer.
Autoimmune Thyroid Disease refers to a severe health condition where the body loses its ability to distinguish between tissues, organs, glands, external bacteria, virus or pathogens and internal bacteria. This disability of the body in distinguishing various aspects of the body results in the formation of antibodies that further leads to either under-active or overactive thyroid gland.
Thyroiditis is the inflammation of the thyroid gland due to bacteria or virus infection.
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