Guest Author - Jim Lowrance
For those of you who enjoy the quizzes, I have just put together a new one but to increase your chances of achieving a higher score, am providing this article on the quiz subject and link to the quiz following below.
The quiz title is “Types of Hypothyroidism” and following are brief descriptions of those covered in the quiz although not necessarily in the same order. Hypothyroidism is the term for a low functioning thyroid gland. While the different terms discussed below, have specific meanings and uses, there are times that they may crossover, meaning two terms may sometimes apply to a particular case of hypothyroidism.
When women experience low thyroid hormone after pregnancy and following giving birth, the term for this type of hypothyroidism is “postpartum hypothyroidism”. This type happens in about 10% of new mothers and for some, improves without treatment. Others may require short term treatment with thyroid hormone replacement. If the hypothyroidism that is triggered is the autoimmune type, the treatment for it will likely be life long. This permanent type of hypothyroidism caused by thyroid autoimmunity is called “Hashimoto’s thyroiditis”.
One common acquired type of hypothyroidism that occurs in countries where their diets are low in iodine is referred to as “iodine deficiency hypothyroidism”. This type is rare in industrialized countries, so is more common in those considered to be “third world countries” (less developed and less industrialized).
When the cause of hypothyroidism, originates within the gland itself, the term for this type is “primary hypothyroidism”. The most common cause originating within the thyroid gland is disease process. It would however still be considered primary hypothyroidism, even if it is due to a damaged gland, for example a person whose gland is damaged in an accident or damaged due to excessive exposure to radioactivity.
The term “secondary hypothyroidism” means the gland is under functioning due to another cause. This can be anything that affects the thyroid gland, rather than it being a problem within the gland itself.
There is also a type of hypothyroidism that is caused by a failure of the brain-center glands that regulate the thyroid gland. The two major glands in the brain that help regulate thyroid function are the hypothalamus and pituitary glands. The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland to produce TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and then the pituitary sends TSH to the thyroid gland to stimulate it. If a failure occurs in the communication between the glands it can cause the thyroid to under function or “Central hypothyroidism”.
Lastly, if the T-3 hormone becomes low in the body, due to a lack of production by the thyroid gland but it is due to a temporary imbalance of T-4 to T-3 conversion (too much “Reverse T-3” is instead being made) this type is referred to by several names. These names include; Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome, Sick Euthyroid Syndrome and Low T-3 Syndrome. This type is often temporary and can be corrected by short term T-3 hormone replacement therapy.
Are you ready to take the “Types of Hypothyroidism” quiz?
Give it a try, here’s the link>> Take The Quiz
