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Thyroid
Also known as Thyroid gland
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck that sets the body's metabolic pace. Too little hormone slows nearly everything down; too much speeds it up.
The thyroid sits at the front of the neck below the voice box and produces two hormones, T4 and T3, that reach essentially every tissue. They set the rate at which cells consume energy — which is why thyroid disease presents not as one symptom but as many at once, all of them the consequence of running at the wrong speed.
| Underactive (hypothyroidism) | Overactive (hyperthyroidism) | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Tiredness, sluggishness | Restlessness, difficulty sleeping |
| Weight | Gain despite unchanged eating | Loss despite good appetite |
| Temperature | Feeling cold | Feeling hot, sweating |
| Heart | Slow pulse | , |
| Bowels | Constipation | Frequent loose stools |
How it is controlled and tested
The pituitary gland monitors thyroid hormone and releases to drive the thyroid harder when levels fall. Because that feedback is sensitive, TSH moves before the thyroid hormones themselves do — which is why it is the first test requested, and why the result reads counter-intuitively: a high TSH indicates an underactive gland.
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Related terms
- HypothyroidismUnderactive thyroid, Low thyroidHypothyroidism means the thyroid gland is producing too little thyroid hormone, so the body's processes run slow. Tiredness, weight gain, feeling cold, constipation and dry skin are typical, and it is treated with a single daily tablet.
- TSHThyroid stimulating hormone, ThyrotropinTSH is the pituitary hormone that tells the thyroid how hard to work, and it is the first blood test used to check thyroid function. It reads in the opposite direction to intuition — a high TSH means an underactive thyroid.
- MetabolismMetabolic rateMetabolism is the whole set of chemical reactions a body uses to turn food into energy, build tissue and clear waste. It runs constantly, and most of it happens whether a person is active or asleep.
- TachycardiaFast heart rateTachycardia means a resting heart rate above 100 beats per minute in an adult. It is often a normal response to something else, and occasionally a rhythm problem in its own right.
- PalpitationsPalpitations are an awareness of your own heartbeat — racing, thumping, fluttering or seeming to skip. Most are harmless, but the pattern and the company they keep decide whether they need investigating.
- OsteoporosisBrittle bone disease, Thin bonesOsteoporosis is loss of bone density that leaves bones fragile enough to break from a minor fall or even a cough. It causes no symptoms until a fracture happens, which is what makes it dangerous.
- AnaemiaAnemia, Low haemoglobinAnaemia means the blood carries less haemoglobin than it should, so less oxygen reaches the tissues. It usually shows itself as tiredness, breathlessness on exertion and pallor, and in Pakistan the commonest cause by a wide margin is a shortage of iron.