Thyroid alert!

A LEADING consultant has urged people living in the kingdom to become more aware of thyroid disorders which can cause misery for many undiagnosed sufferers.

Dr Wiam Hussein, consultant endocrinologist at the Joslin Diabetes Centre in Bahrain, is making the move as part of an international campaign to highlight the condition caused by a small gland shaped like a butterfly located in the middle of the lower neck.

Studies have indicated that thyroid cancer is appearing to be increasing at the rate of four per cent a year and is the second most common cancer among women in the Gulf region.

The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormone that controls the human body's metabolism and regulates the rate at which the human body carries on its necessary functions.

Dr Hussein, the former head of endocrinology at Saad Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia, said: "The thyroid gland produces hormones that influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in the body.

"If left untreated, thyroid disease can cause a range of complications from increasing cholesterol levels, infertility, muscle weakness, osteoporosis and weight problems.

"Awareness of thyroid disease is very limited in Bahrain. January is thyroid awareness month in the US, which has the highest incidence rate of thyroid cancer in the world.

"In Bahrain we have been looking at more cases than ever before. I have patients, who come when they want to have babies, are abnormally fatigued, have been losing hair or gaining weight.

"Most of the complications caused by thyroid disorders can be completely cured or controlled with appropriate medication."

Thyroid disorders occur when too much, or too little of the hormone, is produced by the body. An enlarged thyroid, nodules, inflammation and cancer of the thyroid are the other common diseases and conditions that can affect the thyroid.

Genetically-caused thyroid disorders are known to affect eight to 10 times more women than men. It is a slow disease with symptoms getting worse over time.

Dr Hussein added: "Be alert for any abnormal signs. Don't blame your fatigue, sleep disturbances, intolerance to cold, vision problems, post-natal depression, lack of concentration and forgetfulness.

"It is common among teenagers and middle-aged women. If anyone in your family is known to have had thyroid disorders get yourself checked regularly.

"A single blood test is all that is required to tell us what we need to know and most disorders are reversible. Medication can be as low as BD2 or BD3 for three months."

People suffering from obesity and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes and vitiligo are more susceptible to contracting thyroid disorders.

Patients with either hyper-or hypothyroidism could have problems with fertility. Development of the brain, as well as normal growth of the child, is dependent upon normal levels of thyroid hormone.

Dr Hussein advised: "Look at the mirror and drink water. If you see a mass moving up and down below the apple you need to get it checked. After treatment all my patients feel much better.

"They come back to me to say that the unusual coldness they felt, the excessive sleeping that they attributed to laziness has all disappeared and are feeling more energetic, alert and ready for action."

Check list

Symptoms can be easily confused with other conditions and TSH testing is the most useful test for thyroid screening.

Fatigue is a common complaint for under- and over-active thyroid conditions.

Thyroid diseases could be life-long conditions but with careful management, people with thyroid disease can live healthy and normal lives.

Regular checkups are the key to successfully managing a malfunctioning thyroid gland.

Changing formulations and dosage can affect thyroid hormone levels and should be followed by retesting.

Do not change your dose of thyroid medication without guidance from your physician.

Thyroid hormone is important for women to get pregnant, for foetus development and the IQ of the child and so requires close monitoring.

40 to 50 per cent of middle-aged people may have a thyroid nodule without knowing it. They are usually small and painless but have to be tested for malignancy.

Thyroid cancer is one of the fastest growing cancers but one of them

CASE STUDY

Fatima, a Bahraini woman in her early 20s, from Manama, told GulfWeekly about the 10-month ordeal she suffered fighting the condition.

"Nine months ago I succumbed to my aunt's request for getting my thyroid checked. I was 100 per cent sure that nothing was wrong with me but the results of the physical examination and blood test were different," said Fatima who was diagnosed with two nodules on her thyroid.

Initial tests raised suspicions of cancer which alarmed the young woman and her family. "Everyone was crying. I could see that my mother was most upset when it was decided that I have to undergo surgery to remove the nodules."

Fatima received treatment at Saad Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Fortunately the surgery was successful and a cancer biopsy on the nodules proved negative. However, before the family could take a deep breath, her TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels revealed that she was suffering from hyperthyroidism - a condition when an excess of the thyroid hormone is being produced by the body.

"I grew very weak and very tired. I had palpitations. I am a young girl but I felt helpless and disabled. It was the love from my family and friends that kept me going.

"My doctor diagnosed my latest condition as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - a type of autoimmune thyroid disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and stops it from producing enough thyroid hormones for the body to work the way it should."

It was at this stage that Fatima decided to learn all she could about the thyroid, the problems it can cause and how treatment could control the condition. She said: "I was now under Dr Hussein's care. I understood that I had to take regular medication.

"My body was slow to respond to the changes so I had to be patient. I would get angry about very silly things and realised that it was my thyroid acting up. I had to just take a deep breath and control myself.

"I understood that it's just a hormone that I have a lack of and so I have to take the medicine to help my body function normally. It took almost two months before my body came back to normal."

Fatima is today extremely active and working for a private firm, pursuing further studies at Bahrain University and is also an active volunteer with several agencies in Bahrain. She said: "Today, I have got my life back. I can work and study and not feel tired. I am now leading a completely full life."