The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that makes two thyroid hormones: thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Thyroid hormones control how the body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even your heart. Health care professionals use thyroid tests to check how well your thyroid is working and to find the cause of problems such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
Can you prevent thyroid disease?
Thyroid diseases generally aren’t preventable. This is because most cases of thyroid disease are linked to genetics and/or caused by autoimmune conditions, which you can’t prevent.
The two conditions you may be able to prevent are thyroid problems related to iodine excess or deficiency. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re concerned about consuming a healthy amount of iodine.
How is thyroid disease treated?
Treatment for thyroid disease depends on the type of condition and the cause. The goal is to return your thyroid hormone levels to a healthy range.
If you have hyperthyroidism, treatment options include:
- Antithyroid drugs: These medications stop your thyroid from making hormones.
- Radioiodine therapy: This treatment damages the cells of your thyroid, preventing it from making high levels of thyroid hormone.
- Beta-blockers: These medications don’t affect your thyroid, but they help manage some symptoms, like rapid heart rate.
- Surgery: For a more permanent form of treatment, your healthcare provider may recommend surgically removing your thyroid (thyroidectomy). This will stop it from creating hormones. However, you’ll need to take synthetic (manufactured) thyroid replacement hormones (pills) for the rest of your life.
If you have hypothyroidism, the main treatment option is thyroid replacement medication. It’s a synthetic way to add thyroid hormones back into your body.