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If you feel unusually cold even in summer, wake up heavy despite enough sleep, and gain weight without eating much more than usual, it may be worth checking your thyroid function rather than dismissing it as a passing slump. When these symptoms overlap, the condition most often suspected is hypothyroidism
Some 723,831 patients were treated for the disorder last year, according to national health statistics from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. That is an increase of more than 12% over four years compared with 2021. By sex, women accounted for 596,352 patients, or about 82% of the total, overwhelmingly outnumbering men
Data released earlier by the National Health Insurance Service also showed women outnumbering men by more than five to one, with the largest number of patients in their 50s and 40s — suggesting that the burden of the disease among middle-aged women has persisted for years
The thyroid, an endocrine organ at the front of the neck, produces hormones that regulate the body’s overall metabolic rate, including body temperature, heart rate, digestion and energy metabolism. When these hormones run low, metabolism slows across the board, often bringing chronic fatigue, lethargy, memory decline and sleep problems
Feeling unusually cold even in midsummer, swelling in the face, hands and feet, and dry skin are also common signs, and weight gain or persistent constipation despite no change in food intake is sometimes reported
The problem is that each of these symptoms is unremarkable on its own, making it easy to brush them off as mere tiredness. Left untreated, however, the condition can disrupt cholesterol metabolism and raise blood LDL cholesterol, which in turn can heighten the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Because the risk rises with age and with a family history of thyroid disease, early detection and management are advisable
Treatment itself is relatively simple. The basic principle is to replace the missing thyroid hormone with medication. Yoon Ji-young, a professor of family medicine at Korea University Ansan Hospital, explained that taking the prescribed medication once a day on a steady basis restores most patients to normal hormone levels, with symptoms such as fatigue and lethargy easing over time
But if patients decide on their own that they have improved and stop taking the medication, they risk slipping back into hormone deficiency, the professor added, making it important to have periodic blood tests and thyroid function tests and to adjust the dosage accordingly
Women who are planning a pregnancy or are already pregnant require closer management. Because a fetus receives most of its needed thyroid hormone from the mother in early pregnancy, women who already have hypothyroidism often need to readjust their medication dosage as soon as pregnancy is confirmed
For that reason, women preparing for or undergoing pregnancy are advised to keep their hormone levels within the appropriate range through regular testing
#hypothyroidism#thyroid#womenshealth#KoreaHealth#chronicfatigue#healthytime#pregnancy
Original reporting by Hyun Su-a for Seoul Economic Daily
AI-translated from Korean. Quotes from foreignxact original wording
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