All About Hypothyroidism

Parts of the Body Affected

 

 

As mentioned before, hypothyroidism is a condition that affects the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is found in front of the neck below the larynx (voice box) and has two lobes describing why the thyroid is often characterized as the butterfly-shaped gland. The thyroid is one of the endocrine glands that produce hormones for the body. Hormones are chemical messengers that travels to different organs and tissues to control bodily processes such as metabolism, growth and mood. The thyroid’s role in the endocrine system is to control metabolism – a process in which your body break down food then converts into energy. The thyroid controls your metabolism through the actions of thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4)) which are produce through the extraction of iodine from the foods you eat to your bloodstream. The thyroid is controlled by the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. In relation to hypothyroidism, the hypothalamus secretes thyroid-releasing hormones (TRH) alerting the pituitary glands to produce thyroid-stimulating hormones when thyroid hormone levels are really low. The thyroid produces hormones in responds the chain of events (Sargis, 2015).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hormones of the Thyroid

The two main hormones of the thyroid produces and releases are triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). The thyroid functions normally with 80% T4 and about 20% of T3, though T3 is the stronger hormone.

(Sargis, 2015)