A small butterfly shaped gland just below the Adam’s apple is known as thyroid. This gland is important to maintain body’s metabolism and energy level and problem related to this gland can affect these activities. Unfortunately, many a times, despite problem related to thyroid gland are most common, lack of symptoms cause delayed diagnosis.

Let’s take a quick look at the most common thyroid related problems that are known as the underactive thyroid, the overactive thyroid, and thyroid nodules.

When body’s immunity system affects the thyroid gland unknowingly, it is known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Diagnosing Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is not that complicated once the above symptoms are identified in the patient. In hypothyroidism patients are usually detected with increased level of serum TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). However, in rare cases, patient with hypothyroidism due to a pituitary or hypothalamic condition may not show the elevated level of serum TSH.

Once the patient is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, he/she is prescribes with a daily dose of thyroid hormone tablets. Once the treatment begins, the symptoms of hypothyroidism need to be cleared up within a few months. Though, the dosage period of this tablet varies from patient to patient, in most of the cases, patients have to continue taking it for lifetime.

Second condition, known as hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid is caused by Graves’ disease. In this condition, body’s immunity system tends to overstimulate the thyroid gland.

Though the hyperthyroidism is diagnosed soon once the symptoms are visible, patients are also checked for other medical conditions, such as cancer or heart problems, if the doctor is not convinced that the patient is suffering from hyperthyroidism. The diagnosis is best made checking increased level of Free T4 and low level of TSH in the blood. Later a thyroid scan is done to assess whether the condition is due to Graves’ disease or toxic multinodular goiter, hot nodule, subacute thyroiditis, or silent thyroiditis. In rare cases of hyperthyroidism expertise of an endocrinologist is required for diagnosis.

Among the several methods of treatments available for hyperthyroidism, most popular method is iodine, since thyroid is the only organ in the body that takes up and uses iodine. There are also medications that assist the gland restore normal levels. But in many cases, when a patient stops taking them, the situations relapses plus they have lot of serious side effects in a small percentage of patients taking them. Surgical removal of part of the thyroid is occasionally used as a treatment.

Thyroid nodules or lumps is the third common disorder seen in people but is usually harmless. However, about 4% of nodules are cancerous, so one needs to be careful and get the required tests done, which is possible with fine needle aspiration biopsy. If the biopsy does not raise any suspicion of cancer, the nodule is usually observed. Some thyroid specialists recommend treatment with thyroid hormone to try to decrease the size of the nodule. A second biopsy is usually recommended 6-12 months later, to make sure that it is not cancerous.