Prevention+of+Hypothyroidism

=|| HOME || CAUSE || EFFECTS || TREATMENT || PREVENTION || CHOICE||  NOTES || MLA ||=

In underdeveloped countries where their diets do not contain enough iodine, taking iodine supplements can help prevent having hypothyroidism. In developed countries where most peoples diet contains enough iodine, there is no known way to keep from getting hypothyroidism. The only thing you could do to prevent it from becoming sever is to have it diagnosed early through testing new born babies through a screening test, pregnant women, and people who have symptoms or risk factors such as having relatives with thyroid diseases. However hypothyroidism can be difficult to diagnose because in most patients it will develop slowly.

You should tell your doctor about your medical and family history, changes in your health, if you've ever had had thyroid surgery, if you've ever had radiation to your neck to treat cancer, if you're taking any medicines that can cause hypothyroidism (amiodarone, lithium, interferone alpha, interleukin-2, and thalidomide) and whether anyone in your family has thyroid disease.

Further diagnose will be made through a physical examination A physical examination will show:
 * brittle nails
 * coarse facial features
 * swelling of arms and legs
 * low blood pressure
 * low temperature
 * slowing of the mind
 * muscle atrophy
 * pale, yellow skin
 * slow heart rate
 * slow relaxation of the muscles
 * thin and brittle hair
 * enlarged heart (from chest x-ray)

 Further diagnose will be made through a physical examination

Quiz Question: Can hypothyroidism be cured? Why or why not? If not, explain what could be done.