Expert Care for Thyroid Disorders
Your thyroid is a vital organ that controls numerous bodily functions. When your thyroid isn’t working the way it should, it impacts your entire body. Rochester Regional Health’s Thyroid Center offers a comprehensive treatment approach for the management of all types of thyroid disorders, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancers. Our experienced team of endocrinologists will create an individually designed treatment plan just for you.
What Does the Thyroid Do?
Your thyroid is a small organ located in the front of the neck that wraps around your windpipe (the trachea). Shaped like a butterfly, your thyroid is a gland that releases and controls thyroid hormones that control your metabolism. These hormones are created by your thyroid and tell your body’s cells how much energy to use. When working properly, the thyroid will maintain the right amount of hormones to keep your metabolism working as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Common Thyroid Disorders
If your thyroid makes too little thyroid hormone, you have hypothyroidism. People suffering from hypothyroidism often feel tired, gain weight, and may be unable to tolerate cold temperatures.
The pituitary gland supervises the work of the thyroid and controls the amount of thyroid hormones in your bloodstream. When it senses a lack or surplus of thyroid hormones in your body, it adjusts the amounts with its own hormones using thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Typically, TSH will increase with hypothyroidism and decrease with hyperthyroidism.
Thyroid cancer can occur in people with no risk factors, or in people who have undergone radiation to the chest, head, or neck. The four main types of thyroid cancer are anaplastic, follicular, medullary, and papillary.
Following a physical exam, blood tests, imaging tests, biopsy, and genetic testing, your endocrinologist will create a personalized treatment plan that takes your health, your preferences, and your type and stage of thyroid cancer into consideration. Your treatment may include blood tests and exams once or twice a year, surgery, thyroid hormone therapy, radioactive iodine, external radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted drug therapy.
In order to properly assess a lump or nodule in your neck, your provider will utilize several tests, including a physical exam, thyroid function tests, thyroid scans, an ultrasound, and/or a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
Treatment for a thyroid nodule depends on which type of thyroid nodule you have, your symptoms, and risk of cancer. These choices can range from watchful waiting (with exams and/or imaging) to surgical approaches.
If your nodule is producing more thyroid hormone than necessary, your provider may recommend radioactive iodine, anti-thyroid medications, or surgery.
If your nodule is cancerous, treatment usually requires surgery. However, your provider will customize a treatment plan that works best for your nodules and your wishes.
Symptoms of Thyroid Disease
You may experience a variety of symptoms if you have a thyroid disorder. They may resemble symptoms of other medical conditions and stages of life, making it difficult to know if your symptoms are a thyroid issue or something else.
Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) symptoms include:
- anxiety, irritability, and nervousness
- irregular menstrual periods – often lighter and/or spaced longer
- feeling sensitive to heat
- an enlarged thyroid gland or goiter
- muscle weakness and tremors
- vision problems or eye irritation
- loss of weight
Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) symptoms include:
- intolerance to cold
- forgetfulness
- tired
- weight gain
- hoarse voice
- dry or coarse hair
- frequent or heavy menstrual periods
Risk Factors
Thyroid disease can and does affect anyone—women, men, infants, teenagers, and the elderly. Nearly 20 million people in the United States have some type of thyroid disorder, and women are 5 to 8 times more likely to receive a thyroid diagnosis than men. You may be at risk of developing a thyroid disorder if you:
- have a family history of thyroid disease
- have a medical condition (can include anemia, type 1 diabetes, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis)
- take a medication that is high in iodine
- are 60+ years old
- have had a past thyroid condition or cancer
The thyroid experts at Rochester Regional Health will create a personalized care plan to help you manage whichever risks or thyroid disorder you may have.