Five major dangers of hypothyroidism, let you rediscover hypothyroidism!

Some people think that hypothyroidism is nothing more than a disease of the thyroid gland and will not cause much harm to the human body. If you see the five major harms that hypothyroidism brings to the human body, you will have a new understanding of the disease.

1. Hypothyroidism will affect growth and development

Children with hypothyroidism may suffer from mental retardation or even dementia, short stature, etc. Thyroid hormone promotes growth hormone, and thyroid hormone deficiency affects the growth-promoting effect of growth hormone. Children with hypothyroidism often show slow growth, slow epiphyseal healing, and delayed bone age. Adolescent hypothyroidism shows delayed development, and a few show precocious puberty.

2. Hypothyroidism will affect sexual ability and fertility

After suffering from hypothyroidism, female patients will experience heavy menstrual flow, prolonged menstruation, or even amenorrhea, and difficulty in conceiving. Even if they succeed in conceiving, the chances of miscarriage, stillbirth, and congenital hypothyroidism after birth are very high. For men, they will experience decreased libido, breast development, impotence, and difficulty in fertility. Moreover, hypothyroidism is hereditary, and the offspring of patients with hypothyroidism are also very likely to suffer from hypothyroidism. Therefore, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, doctors will recommend that you have children after recovery.

3. Hypothyroidism affects the cardiovascular system

When thyroid hormone is low, physical examinations reveal that the patient has a slow and weak heartbeat, dull heart sounds, enlarged heart, bradycardia, lower limb swelling, increased blood pressure, and decreased pulse pressure difference. Myocardial pseudohypertrophy, electrocardiogram shows low voltage, and sinus bradycardia. About 30% of patients have pericardial effusion, and severe cases may also have pleural or abdominal effusion.

4. Hypothyroidism affects muscles and joints

Hypothyroidism patients clinically present with fatigue, muscle pain, stiffness, spasm, edema and hypertrophy, elevated serum CPK, LDH and AST, and isoenzymes mainly from striated muscles. The relaxation period of the Achilles tendon reflex in hypothyroidism patients is significantly prolonged, but not sensitive enough.

5. Hypothyroidism affects the gastrointestinal system

The smooth muscle tension of the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder, small intestine and colon is weakened, gastrointestinal motility is slow, emptying time is prolonged, gastric acid secretion is reduced, and serum anti-gastric parietal cell antibodies are positive. Patients show loss of appetite, abdominal distension, nausea, low gastric acid, and difficulty in defecation.