Signs of thyroid disease are easily confused with daily fatigue

Symptoms of thyroid disease are often not characteristic, easily confused with tiredness in busy life so often overlooked.

Currently the world has about 200 million people with thyroid disease. Thyroid disorders can affect all ages of both sexes, and the proportion of women with the disease is 10 times that of men. About 50% of patients are not diagnosed because symptoms are not specific, easy to confuse.

Dr. Phan Huong Duong, Deputy Director of the Central Endocrinology Hospital, said that the number of thyroid examination visits in the hospital has increased nearly three times in the last four years. In 2014 there were more than 27,000 patient turns, in 2017 it was over 74,000. Common thyroid diseases are basedow, thyroid cancer, goiter, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis .

The rate of women suffering from thyroid disease is 10 times higher than that of men.(Photo: drstansidhu).

Disorders of the thyroid function affect the normal functioning of the body. Patients with hyperthyroidism can thin quickly, fear hot, sweating, tachycardia, restlessness, mood swings, irritability . If left untreated, it can lead to thyroid storm, dangerous temperament network.

According to doctor Duong, pregnant women with hyperthyroidism may have premature or pre-eclampsia, heart failure, acute thyroid infection. Hyperthyroidism is not well controlled, leading to children with congenital heart disease, growth retardation, premature birth, stillbirth or malformations .

When hypothyroidism, patients are tired, think and move slowly, speak slowly, memory decreases, sometimes gain weight, fear of cold, dry skin, hair is easily broken, husky, breathless, easy constipation, slow heart rate, big heart, pericardial effusion, heart failure . Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to coma. Pregnant women with severe hypothyroidism will suffer from anemia, muscle pain, muscle weakness, congestive heart failure, pre-eclampsia, abnormal placenta, and fetal brain development. Babies born underweight and bleeding after birth.

Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Medical Examination and Management Department, Ministry of Health, emphasized that Vietnam needs to propagate and educate the community to increase the rate of women at high risk for medical examination. At the same time enhance early screening programs for effective diagnosis and treatment.

In 2005, Vietnam paid for iodine deficiency. However, the risk of deficiency is returning due to the habit of using a lot of soup powder, seasoning salt, fish sauce . instead of using iodized salt of many families.