Hypothyroidism - Are You at Risk?

Hypothyroidism is the medical term for an underactive thyroid and describes a condition in which there is a lower level of the thyroid hormone in the body. This hormone is known as thyroxine and causes various symptoms, such as tiredness, constipation, weight gain, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold. The treatment for this condition is usually quite easy, with a tablet provided for each day to replace the missing hormone. In most people, this is usually enough to treat the problem and the symptoms disappear.

The thyroid gland is found in the neck and produces the hormone which travels in the bloodstream around the body. It’s needed to help keep the body’s functions and metabolism working at the right pace, and many cells require thyroxine to keep working effectively. Hypothyroidism results from the thyroid gland being unable to produce enough thyroxine, so the functions in the body slow down. It may also be caused if there isn’t enough of the gland left to make thyroxine, such as after an injury or following a surgery. The less common symptoms include infertility, loss of sex drive, carpal tunnel syndrome and irregular menstrual periods in women. However, it’s important to remember that all of the symptoms can be caused by other conditions, so you should seek medical advice in order to confirm that you do have this condition.

If left untreated, hypothyroidism can increase your risk of developing heart disease, due to the fact that a low thyroxine level causes the blood lipids to rise, increasing your cholesterol. If you’re pregnant it can also increase the risk of complications, such as anaemia, premature labour, low birth weight, pre-eclampsia, serious bleeding after the birth, and even stillbirth. In severe cases, it can also lead to a hypothyroid coma, but this is a rare complication. This condition affects around 1 in 50 women and around 1 in 1000 men. It generally affects adults and becomes more common as you age. It can occur at any age though, and can affect anyone. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease known as autoimmune thyroiditis. This causes antibodies to attack the bacteria and other germs in the body, but if you have an autoimmune disease this can make antibodies against certain tissues in the body. Naturally, with autoimmune thyroiditis, this can cause antibodies to attach to the thyroid gland and affect its functioning. Surgery can also be a common cause, as this lowers the functionality of the gland itself. Other causes include side effects to medicines, a problem with your pituitary gland, and iodine deficiency.

The condition is diagnosed by a blood test, and is treated by taking a levothyroxine tablet each day. This works to replace the hormone loss in the body and generally works quite quickly to alleviate symptoms. Ideally, you should take this on an empty stomach as there are some nutrients which can interfere with the efficiency of the medication, such as calcium and iron.

The main facts you should be aware of is that this condition is fairly common and the symptoms develop over time. The treatment you’ll require if you have this problem is usually for life, and you’ll need to have a blood test once a year to ensure that your medication dosage is accurate. If you’re concerned about any of the symptoms you have and are worried that you may have hypothyroidism, you should seek advice from your GP. They will be able to carry out a blood test to determine if you do have the condition.

Categories: autoimmune disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, Blood Test, body, condition, gland, hypothyroidism, Symptoms, thyroid, thyroid gland, thyroxine

How Do You Ensure Your Prostate Is Healthy?

Prostate health becomes a growing concern with age for men. But there are ways to deter a future battle, such as an awareness of your dietary options and nutritional support, which promote an optimal prostate function. The prostate gland secretes fluid which combines with sperm to create semen – the gland is found in the urethra, the tube which takes urine out of the bladder. But with age, a common problem is that the gland becomes enlarged, and if it grows too much it can stem the flow of urine from the urethra. There are a number of symptoms for this condition such as frequently needing the toilet, a weak urine stream and a constant needing to go to the toilet. The prostate is almost more likely to become infected which can lead to pain in the pelvic area, or pain when urinating.  Men with  prostate problems may also have low testosterone levels which could lead to depression, vascular disease and fatigue. This can be tested with a blood test though, so speak to your GP about this.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer amongst men. It’s a very serious diagnosis, though the aggressiveness of the cancer will vary among patients. It’s usually diagnosed in a routine prostate exam or through a prostate-specific antigen blood test. The symptoms are very similar to those with prostate enlargement, such as needing to urinate more often. There are various risk factors for prostate cancer, such as increasing age, family history and race. However, not every man who suffers from prostate enlargement will have prostate cancer, though the symptoms many overlap. If you’re suffering from symptoms you think may be a concern, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible. There is good news though – food can benefit your prostate, and if you choose wisely you can help to lower your risk of developing problems. For example, omega-3 fatty acids and a diet rich in fruit and vegetables are vital as part of a healthy daily diet. Fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, or a fish oil supplement, should dominate your intake. You should limit your intake of saturated fats, as with any healthy diet, as well as red meats and dairy. Soy is great for your diet and should be part of your daily nutrition – you can add this by eating tempeh, soy beans and tofu to your diet, such as in salads or stir fries.

 

A lot of nutrients can help with the frequent urination that is associated with prostate enlargement. These include zinc, saw palmetto, pygeum, stinging nettle, beta-sitosterol, lycopene, selenium and vitamin E. You should add pomegranate juice to your diet, as well as green tea as these have qualities and nutrients that are great for your health overall, as well as for your prostate. African Americans and those with a history of prostate conditions in the family should begin their screening at 40. If you don’t fall into either of these categories, however, you can begin your annual screening at the age of 50. Experts advise to get a check-up every year, but there isn’t actually any evidence to suggest that routine screening helps – however, it also does no harm. If you’re concerned about your health in any way, or have a family history of prostate problems, you should speak to your GP as soon as possible as they can run tests to determine if there is a problem.

Categories: Blood Test, cancer, diet, family history, men, prostate, prostate cancer, prostate enlargement, prostate problems, Symptoms

Which Medical Tests Do You Need to Book Now?

When it comes to your health early detection of any disease or ailment is advisable, yet most people don’t take advantage of the various health checks and tests available to them. Such tests could prove to be life-saving, and the majority of them are quick and easy to undertake. These are the top tests which could help to keep you healthy and highlight any potential problems early on, which could make treatment far more effective.

 

Mammogram

The American Cancer Society has always claimed that women should begin annual breast cancer screening at the age of 40 with mammograms, but the new thought on the matter is that women should wait until their 50. This is because younger and denser breasts are more likely to develop benign cysts, which means that aggressive testing on innocent lumps in the tissue is unnecessary. However, most doctors stand by the early tests in order to be on the safe side – get tested every year from 40, or earlier if there is a history of breast cancer in your family. if this is the case, you should start screenings 10 years earlier than the age your relative was when she was diagnosed. So, if your mum was diagnosed at the age of 42, you need to be getting annual screenings from the age of 32.

 

Breast examinations

Breast exams are very quick, painless and free – self exams have been proven to reduce the number of cancer-related deaths. Women often discover their own cancers through noticing the symptoms early, so as long as you don’t worry about every lump and bump you find (menstruating will mean you’ll find some lumps which are harmless) then there is no harm in doing regular breast checks. Being familiar with your breasts and knowing what is right for you makes this a lot more effective, and regular checks are one of the best ways to do this.

 

Pap smears

Cervical smears are advised from the age of 21, with follow-up tests every other year until the age of 30, when it becomes every three years if the results are normal. It depends on your risk factor – if you’re healthy and HPV negative, and either not sexually active or have just one partner, you can be screened every three years. If you have other risks, such as smoking or sleeping with multiple partners, then your risks increase and you should be screened annually.

 

High cholesterol

If you’re over the age of 20, a total cholesterol exam which is carried out with a simple blood test could assess your risk of heart disease. This is done every year if your LDL, which is referred to as the ‘bad’ cholesterol, measures over 130. If your result is lower, then you only need to be tested every five years.

 

Under or overactive thyroid

This is also tested with a blood test, and the condition itself can lead to symptoms of weight gain or indicate an autoimmune disease. If you’re over the age of 35, you should get tested every two years – however, if you’re showing symptoms you should speak to your GP earlier to see if you have the condition.

 

Chlamydia or other STDs

Regular sexual health screenings are advised to anyone who is sexually active, regardless of their age. In particular, tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea can help reduce the risk of pelvic inflammatory disease – the tests are quick, relatively painless and offer peace of mind that you’re not spreading infection. If you’re sleeping with multiple partners and are under 25, this is especially important.

Categories: Blood Test, breast cancer, health, medical tests, multiple partners, sexually active, Symptoms, tests

How a Trip to the Dentist Could Reveal Type 2 Diabetes

Few of us look forward to a visit to the dentist but getting your teeth examined could provide an unexpected health check-up. A handful of dentists in the UK are now offering to screen at-risk patients for early signs of diabetes.

The connection between dental health and other conditions, such as diabetes, can be seen in gum inflammation. And a simple finger-prick test can reveal if blood sugar levels are putting patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the blood disorder in which the body fails to produce enough or any insulin to transform glucose from food into cell energy. It typically affects older people and those who are obese or overweight but is regularly now being diagnosed in younger people.

Many people may already have diabetes or are beginning to experience early symptoms such as excessive thirst and an increased desire to urinate without realising they have the condition. The damage done to their organs by diabetes before it is diagnosed may be irreversible, making the potential intervention of dentists a crucial one.

In the UK, the Diabetes and Dentistry Organisation was established in 2012 to raise awareness of diabetes and its effect on oral health. Inflammation in the gums is one of the few external signs that a person may have diabetes.

Dentists who are part of the organisation offer the screening for free. Their patients complete a questionnaire that identifies if they are in the at-risk category and depending on their score, they will be given a blood test to check blood glucose levels. A follow-up blood test to confirm a high score then leads the patient to be referred to their GP.

There is no cure for diabetes but the condition is controlled through diet and medication, although there is an increased risk of amputation, blindness and heart attack as blood circulation is affected.

How a Trip to the Dentist Could Reveal Type 2 Diabetes

Categories: Blood, Blood Test, dentists, Diabetes, oral health, people, risk

Could a Simple Blood Test Soon Detect Arthritis Early?

A genetic breakthrough into the underlying causes of arthritis could mean a simple blood test could predict whose wellbeing is at risk of the crippling disease. This is according to US and Swedish researchers, who have found that certain genes and the “tags” that regulate them conspire together to promote the development of arthritis.

The disease is both caused by, and causes, these tags, and so wellness experts at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States separated the two groups of tags, which helped them to identify the specific DNA sequences which are vital for arthritis to progress. The hope is that now, armed with this insight, they might be able to spot people who go on to suffer from arthritis, as well as other non-infectious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Dr Andrew Feinberg, professor of molecular medicine at Johns Hopkins` Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences, explained, ‘Since rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the body’s immune system turns on itself, current treatments often involve suppressing the entire immune system, which can have serious side effects. The results of this study may allow clinicians to directly target the culpable genes and/or their tags.’

Of the 10 DNA sites that were tagged differently in arthritis patients, and affected risk for developing the disease, nine were in a region known to play an important role in autoimmune diseases. However, site number 10 was on a gene that has never before been associated with the disease. Lead researcher, Dr Yun Liu, said, ‘Our method allows us to predict which tagging sites are most important in the development of a disease.’

There are several known DNA mutations that increase your risk for rheumatoid arthritis, but the researchers found that additional factors appear to suppress or enhance that risk. The chemical tags that attach to DNA sequences are one of these factors. They work as part of an epigenetic system that helps regulate when and how DNA sequences are “read”, how they are used to create proteins and how they affect the onset or progress of disease.

In more than 300 people with and without arthritis, the researchers managed to catalogue DNA sequences and their tagging patterns in the white blood cells. This enabled them to identify DNA sequences that were more prevalent in patients with the disease, which could shed further light on how it operates. Tomas Ekstrom, professor of molecular cell biology at Karolinska Institute’s Department of Clinical Neuroscience, commented, ‘This could explain why risk genes assert themselves and cause disease and why some people are affected more easily than others.’

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Could a Simple Blood Test Soon Detect Arthritis Early?

Categories: Arthritis, Blood Test, Detection