Hypothyroidism is one of the most common types of thyroid disease, with a prevalence rate of 3.1% in New Zealand. But a lot of people still don’t fully understand what an underactive thyroid means, what causes it, and most importantly, who is at the highest risk for developing this disease.
Here, we take a closer look at the five common risk factors for hypothyroidism:
- Gender and age. According to research, women are at a higher risk for developing hypothyroidism due to several factors related to gender. Being older than 60, for instance, makes a woman more prone to hypothyroidism than men of the same age.
Pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause are also considered risk factors for an underactive thyroid. Postpartum thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder diagnosed in women within the first 6 months after giving birth, and its most common complication is hypothyroidism.
- Hereditary. It is said that individuals with a family history of thyroid disease are at a higher risk for developing hypothyroidism than those who don’t. Start asking your elders or relatives if there is someone in the family who’s had hypothyroidism.
- Pre-existing medical condition. According to research, patients with existing medical conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders are at a higher risk for developing an underactive thyroid as a complication of their disease.
- Anti-thyroid treatments. If you’re suffering from hyperthyroidism, you might have undergone radioactive iodine treatment and other anti-thyroid medications.
Although these are important, they can sometimes cause thyroid levels to go down more than the normal levels, which can result in hypothyroidism. Patients who underwent thyroid surgery to remove their thyroid or those who have been treated for thyroid cancer are also at a higher risk for hypothyroidism.
- Radiation therapy. If you’ve had any radiation exposure due to therapy or other methods in your neck and upper chest area, you are most likely to develop underactive thyroid, which requires prompt treatment.
Understanding the risk factors surrounding hypothyroidism is a crucial step in getting the best outcome for treatment. By telling the doctor your risk factors, it would be easier for him to determine your need to be screened for a possible underactive thyroid.
It’s also very important to have yourself screened regularly if you have one or more of these risk factors even if you’re not feeling any symptoms yet. Early diagnosis is still one of the best ways to get a good prognosis for hypothyroidism because it gives doctors ample time to treat you with the right medications and procedures to help you recover from this condition.
You will probably be prescribed Eltroxin, a popular medication that works by replacing the hormone thyroxine that your thyroid is not producing enough of. Being one of the most popular medications for hypothyroidism, your Eltroxin dose will be based on your needs and you should take it exactly as prescribed to ensure that you don’t suffer from hyperthyroidism, which is also a common complication for patients who are getting treated for hypothyroidism.