The thyroid gland, with its two wing-shaped lobes, nestles around the trachea like a protective shield. It weighs slightly more than a modern cell phone and stores thyroid hormones in its three million follicles. Four epithelial bodies nestle against it from behind. These parathyroid glands are each the size of a grain of wheat and produce a hormone that is essential for calcium levels.
Symptoms of thyroid dysfunction
Changes in the size of the thyroid gland do not necessarily cause symptoms. Symptoms usually only occur when function is impaired and too much or too little thyroid hormone is produced.
But even then, diagnosis is often not easy: because its messengers affect many different metabolic processes, thyroid disorders are noticeable through different and rather nonspecific symptoms, such as
- Changes in weight and bowel habits
- Concentration problems
- Depressive moods
- Skin and hair problems
- Heart problems
Sometimes swallowing difficulties, breathing problems or hoarseness occur later.
Dysfunction of the parathyroid glands
Dysfunction of the parathyroid glands also lead – if at all – to nonspecific complaints such as nausea and vomiting, stomach pain and depressed mood or symptoms that make you think of other organs, such as cardiac arrhythmias, bone pain and kidney stones.
Recognizing problems with the thyroid gland
By specifically asking the patient about his medical history (anamnesis), the described complaints can already lead the doctor on the right track.
Of importance are not only the current symptoms – where, when and how often they occur, whether they started suddenly or have been present for a long time and whether other complaints are present – but also illnesses that have been experienced or are present, previous operations, radiation or accidents, medications taken and illnesses in the family.
Even the gynecologist sometimes has to think about the possibility of a thyroid disorder – it can, in fact, be the cause of an unfulfilled desire to have children.
