Diagnosis
The diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction should begin with a detailed medical history. In doing so, the doctor determines the symptoms of the person concerned by asking specific questions. The various symptoms will provide initial indications as to whether the thyroid gland is overactive or underactive.
To speak of hair loss due to thyroid dysfunction, the criterion of hair loss with more than 100 hairs per day must also be met. The thyroid gland can then be examined by palpation and listening. An enlargement of the thyroid gland, nodules and increased blood circulation may be noticeable.
In order to ensure the diagnosis of the functional disorder, a blood test is carried out and changes in the thyroid hormones TSH, T3 and T4 are noticed. You can read more information on this topic in the next article: Blood testIt is not possible to determine with absolute certainty whether the hair loss is caused by the thyroid dysfunction. However, it becomes more likely the more other symptoms of a functional disorder appear and the fewer other causes there could be for the hair loss.
Hormonal changes often play a role in symptoms such as hair loss, so it should first be clarified whether other hormones besides the thyroid gland are also present in altered concentrations. Especially in men, it is difficult to distinguish between hair loss and natural hair loss. The safest method of detection is if the hair loss decreases or stops after starting the therapy of the thyroid gland dysfunction.
Other symptoms of thyroid disorder
In the case of thyroid dysfunction, a fundamental distinction must be made between hyperthyroidism and hypofunction. Since these are two opposing clinical pictures, the accompanying symptoms are also very different. An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) strongly stimulates the body’s metabolism.
This can lead to severe weight loss, ravenous appetite, nervousness and insomnia. The cardiovascular system is also affected by the excess of thyroid hormones, resulting in higher blood pressure, an increase in heart rate and even abnormally fast heartbeats. In addition, so-called heat symptoms occur above all.
This leads to heavy sweating and, as a result, moist skin. Furthermore, affected persons do not like to stay in the warm, but prefer the cold. The hypothyroidism, on the other hand, has many exactly opposite symptoms.
For example, it leads to cold intolerance and increased freezing as well as loss of appetite and possibly weight gain. Typically, the skin becomes very dry. General symptoms such as fatigue, loss of performance and lack of concentration can also be the expression of hypothyroidism.
In addition, the digestive tract is often affected by the thyroid gland, so that constipation is more common in the case of hypothyroidism. One of the few symptoms common to both thyroid dysfunctions is hair loss, but it is caused by different mechanisms. Sweating is a typical symptom of hyperthyroidism.
The overproduction of thyroid hormones strongly activates the body’s metabolism. The body consumes a lot of energy and thus produces a lot of heat. To avoid overheating, the body starts its simplest cooling mechanism: sweating.
The moisture that forms on the skin during sweating evaporates in the air and thus withdraws energy (=heat) from the skin. This allows the body to cool down again. With hypothyroidism, on the other hand, the feeling of coldness is often particularly strong, so affected persons sweat much less than usual.
