Dizziness and thyroid gland – What are the connections?

Introduction

At first sight it seems that there is no clear connection between dizziness and thyroid gland. However, on closer inspection of the typical symptoms of thyroid patients, especially those with hypothyroidism (also known as hypothyroidism in medical terminology), dizziness becomes increasingly important.

Causes for the occurrence of dizziness in connection with the thyroid gland

A possible cause of dizziness in connection with the thyroid gland is primarily hypothyroidism. In this case there is a lack of thyroid hormones. There are various causes for this: The lack of thyroid hormones can lead to numerous symptoms, dizziness being one of them.

It can occur in many different situations. Since there are countless causes for the occurrence of dizziness, its occurrence is not specific to the presence of a thyroid disease. A doctor should be consulted if dizziness has been present for a long time and is recurrent.

This doctor can clarify various causes, for example, by means of blood tests. This would then also reveal a thyroid disease. Hypothyroidism is a production disorder of the thyroid gland in which the important and vital thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) are produced in a reduced form.

T3 and T4 have a great influence on the body’s metabolism, circulation, growth and psyche. A deficiency can therefore have effects on various bodily functions. Most patients complain of fatigue, loss of appetite and weight gain, but hair loss, feelings of weakness and excessive freezing are also often described.

In most cases, the hypothyroidism cannot be cured, but it can be treated very well by an adapted hormone replacement therapy and is therefore almost symptom-free. There are several possible causes: The most common cause of a reduced thyroid hormone production is an autoimmune inflammation (autoimmune Hashimoto’s thyroiditis). In this case, the body’s own defence cells erroneously attack the body’s own thyroid gland tissue.

Other possible causes are disturbances in the brain area. The hypothalamus (a part of the diencephalon) and the pituitary gland (hypophysis) normally send impulses to the thyroid gland, through which they provide information about the current hormone level and thus either stimulate or inhibit thyroid hormone production. If this is damaged by a tumor, for example, this can lead to increased or decreased production. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune-induced thyroid inflammation that leads to the destruction of thyroid tissue and thus to a reduction in thyroid hormone production. In most cases the disease starts insidiously and is hardly noticed in the beginning.