Not enough hormones and the metabolism slows down. We start by suffering from chronic fatigue and muscle weakness. Then other symptoms appear such as a great chilliness, weight gain (due to water retention), constipation … In this file, find out if you have hypothyroidism and how to treat this chronic disease.
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The Levothyrox Affair
TSH blood test
What is hypothyroidism due to?
In 20% of cases, this thyroid disorderis linked to an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s disease. It is confirmed by the presence of antithyroid antibodies in the blood.
Disorders in the pituitary gland, taking medication for the heart and of course thethyroid removal can also result in a hypothyroidism. But sometimes no cause is identified apart from the aging of the gland.
Read also : Thyroid: increasingly precise examinations
General signs of hypothyroidism
- Tired physical, intellectual and psychic
- Weight gain
- Chilliness
- Decrease in libido
- Memory impairment
- Depressed
Read also: 6 symptoms that may indicate hypothyroidism
Special signs of hypothyroidism
- Slow pulse
- Arterial hypertension : untreated hypothyroidism is a cardiovascular risk factor, which is increased in untreated postmenopausal women.
- Thickening of the skin of the face and neck, dry and cold skin, pale waxy complexion, hair loss and brittle nails.
- Cramps, muscle fatigue, tingling in the extremities, carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Slow intestinal transit.
- Big tongue, hoarse voice, snoring, hearing loss.
- Menorrhagia (heavier periods), infertility, spontaneous miscarriages.
Also read: Fatigue, lack of appetite: what if it was hypothyroidism?
How is hypothyroidism treated?
The doctor decides on the treatment depending on the intensity of the hormonal drop. When the lack is obvious and bothersome, treatment is based on daily (and lifelong) intake of thyroid hormones, in the form of levothyroxine (previously Levothyrox®and its generics), the dose of which is not always easy to determine at the start.
Treatment is gradually adjusted through regular monitoring. The recent Levothyrox case, of which the new formulawas controversial for its side effects in some patients, has prompted health authorities to replace this drug with other treatments composed of the same active principlef, levothyroxine.
Read also: Levothyrox: a million patients have abandoned the drug
TSH assay is essential
Nearly 3 million French people are treated with levothyroxine, a consumption which exploded for 20 years, according to the National Medicines Safety Agency. Given the improved screening for this disease and the aging of the population, this figure is not surprising. What is, for the agency, is the absence of TSH assay in 30% of patients treated. It is however essential to justify the treatment. With the Levothyrox affair, new drugs have entered pharmacies. In order to know if the dosage is suitable, it is necessary to do a thyroid checkup.
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All about the Lévothyrox affair
Thyroid: treating disorders well
