Thyroid Trouble?

Educate yourself with knowledge on how your thyroid gland can affect your body…

- Aishwarys P Vaidya

The thyroid gland is a very small gland, weighing less than one ounce and located in the front of the neck, just below the ‘Adam’s apple’. It is located there to absorb the iodine in the food consumed and convert it into thyroid hormones called Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). As these are the only cells in the body to absorb iodine, it helps regulate the body’s metabolism through the T3 and T4 that are released in the blood stream and are transported throughout the body where they control metabolism.

Dr Pradeep Gadge, Diabetologist and Endocrinologist, Gadge Diabetes Centre, Mumbai, tells us about the different problems affecting the thyroid, and how they can be treated.

Common Thyroid Problems

Goiters: Are an enlargement of the thyroid gland. They are often removed for cosmetic reasons or, more commonly, because they compress other vital structures of the neck including the trachea and the esophagus making breathing and swallowing difficult.

Sometimes, goiters grow into the chest where they can cause trouble as well.