The thyroid is a small gland that’s located in the neck. This gland plays a vital role in controlling your body’s metabolism and is responsible for affecting almost every part of your physical makeup. The hormones produced by this gland are responsible for controlling how quickly or slowly your cells function; as such, they significantly impact how fast you burn calories and produce energy.
What Is An Overactive Thyroid?
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) results when the thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine (T4). This condition can be caused by several disorders, including Graves’ disease and toxic multinodular goiter; it can also occur as a result of taking too high doses of thyroxine (which is usually prescribed for underactive thyroid conditions).
When the cells in your body function too quickly, you may experience symptoms like weight loss, increased appetite (causing an increase in weight), rapid heart rate, fatigue, irritability, and nervousness. Overactive thyroids are diagnosed by examining blood samples to measure hormone levels. With the advances in medical technology, several laboratory tests can be done at home. There are thyroid tests in the UK that can be ordered online or through mobile apps. With simple blood collection through a finger prick, the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) levels are tested remotely online, and results are sent immediately, along with a doctor-validated report. Ultrasound scans or radioactive iodine tests can also be used to find out if the gland is overproducing hormones.
Overactive thyroids can usually be treated with anti-thyroid medications or surgery; radioactive iodine can also be used to destroy some of the gland’s cells. Hyperthyroidism resulting from treatment with too much thyroxine can be controlled by gradually reducing the dosage.
What Is An Underactive Thyroid?
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a condition that occurs when the gland fails to produce enough thyroxine. This might be caused by a problem with your pituitary gland, which controls your thyroid function; it can also be triggered by autoimmune disorders that cause the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack and destroy the gland. An underactive thyroid often goes undetected for several years because its symptoms are similar to those of other health problems. Some of the common signs and symptoms of this condition include unexplained weight gain, depression, muscle aches, excessive fatigue, feeling cold all the time, and dry skin.
Hypothyroidism is diagnosed by examining blood samples to measure hormone levels; a physical exam may be conducted as well. Treatment usually consists of a combination of medication and dietary supplements that contain the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). In some cases, consumers have complained about prescriptions that have been filled with compounded T4/T3 mixtures rather than straight T4 medications.
What Are The Main Differences Between Overactive And Underactive Thyroid?
Symptoms
One of the main differences between an overactive and underactive thyroid is the presence or absence of physical signs and symptoms. For example, people suffering from hyperthyroidism often experience weight loss… whereas those with hypothyroidism typically gain weight without trying to do so… etc. However, this isn’t always the case; sometimes, individuals who are suffering from an underactive thyroid may also experience weight loss.
As discussed earlier, underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) is a condition that occurs when the gland fails to produce enough thyroxine. This condition might involve a complete or partial absence of the thyroid gland’s ability to produce hormones. It can also be triggered by Graves disease, congenital hypothyroidism, or autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes. An underactive thyroid can remain undetected for several years because its symptoms are similar to those of other health problems. Sometimes these conditions may not even cause symptoms but can be found during routine health check-ups for other reasons such as heart problems, kidney disease, miscarriages after 12 weeks of pregnancy, or puberty.
An overactive thyroid is a condition caused by the abnormal production of hormones from the thyroid gland. It is usually accompanied by physical symptoms that can be detected through physical exams or hormone tests on blood samples. Since an overactive thyroid is caused by the gland producing too much thyroxine, it cannot be treated with medications… but rather people who have this condition are required to take drugs like beta-blockers and antithyroid medications. Some common signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism are weight loss despite an increased appetite, irregular heartbeat, nervousness, irritability, trouble sleeping, fatigue, shaky hands, and muscle weakness.
Treatments
Another of the major differences between these two conditions is that an overactive thyroid can be treated with medication or surgery, whereas hypothyroidism doesn’t have any known cures; it can only be managed by taking dietary supplements and/or medications.
Causes
The main difference between overactive and underactive thyroids is found in their respective cause/s. Since an underactive thyroid happens when the gland fails to produce enough hormones (hypothyroidism), the condition itself isn’t caused by anything; this means that doctors don’t know why it develops in certain individuals… while hyperthyroidism occurs when the gland produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), which has specific triggers like autoimmune diseases or taking unnatural doses of thyroxine (which is usually prescribed for underactive thyroid conditions).
Diagnosis
As discussed above, when the cells in your body function too quickly, you may experience symptoms like weight loss, increased appetite (causing an increase in weight), rapid heart rate, fatigue, irritability, and nervousness. An overactive thyroid results from overproduction of hormones; this causes the cells to function too quickly. The condition can be diagnosed by conducting hormone tests on blood samples… or through ultrasound scans or radioactive iodine tests that check if the gland is producing too many hormones. Hyperthyroidism resulting from treatment with a thyroxine overdose can be controlled by gradually reducing dosage.
As mentioned earlier, hypothyroidism is diagnosed by examining blood samples to measure hormone levels; a physical exam may be conducted as well. Treatment usually consists of a combination of medication and dietary supplements that contain the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4). In some cases, consumers have complained about prescriptions that have been filled with compounded T4/T3 mixtures rather than straight T4 medications.
An overactive thyroid is a condition that is caused by the gland producing too much thyroxine, which causes cells to function too quickly. On the other hand, an underactive thyroid happens when there is not enough thyroxine in the system, causing cells to slow down and function poorly. It is important to know the difference between these two thyroid conditions in order to understand the treatments that will be given by your doctor. In both cases, doctors can put a patient on medications and supplements containing thyroxine to control hormone levels and regulate cell activity.
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