Underactive Thyroid: About Hypothyroidism and its Types

Deficiency of the thyroid hormone (THYROXINE) is called Hypothyroidism or Hypothyroid. It can affect any age group though it is most prevalent in older women. It is almost 10 to 20 times more common in females as compared to males. It is one of those conditions which are often present for many years before they can be recognized and treated effectively. An estimated one in every 50 females and one in 1000 men tend to suffer from this condition.

Underactive Thyroid is also called Hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism can be of two types:

• Primary hypothyroidism: Here the problem lies in the thyroid gland and hence it fails to produce sufficient hormones due to certain causes.
• Secondary hypothyroidism: In this type, the pituitary gland is at fault and it is unable to produce sufficient quantity of TSH. Lack of TSH, in turn, causes decreased production of T3 and T4 by the thyroid gland due to lack of stimulus from the pituitary.

Underactive thyroid results from an inability of the Thyroid gland to produce adequate Thyroxine hormone. This could be largely due to genetic tendency. It is important to understand that since there is an inability or sluggishness of the thyroid gland, the treatment should ideally be aimed at stimulating the thyroid gland to do its job, rather than simply supplying deficient Thyroxine hormone from outside.