Hypothyroidism in Men – Its Effects and Diagnosis

Hypothyroidism, if left untreated for long, can pave way to other serious diseases like cancer and diabetes. Thyroid gland malfunction can affect every living tissue and cell in human body.

Hypothyroidism in Men – Often Hard to Detect

Hypothyroidism is described as an autoimmune ailment that affects women in the majority of instances. However, Hypothyroidism in men is not rare either. A majority of men tend to ignore this ailment which is the reason for the ailment creating advanced complications in men. Early detection and treatment however can thwart the ailment from affecting the victims to a serious level. Hypothyroidism in men has some perceptible symptoms like fatigue, hair loss, weight gain and constipation. Hypothyroidism, which essentially denotes the presence of underactive thyroid gland, can affect 1 in every 7 adults on an average. Men often fail to understand that they have hypothyroidism because fibromyalgia also causes symptoms that are similar to hypothyroidism. These two ailments have been said to have some sort of connection but that is yet to be established with certainty.

Effects of Hypothyroidism – Visible Health Deterioration

Hypothyroidism affects men and takes a toll on their health in numerous ways. Effects of hypothyroidism on men are dependent on factors including age of a victim. Apart from the common symptoms of this ailment men can also exhibit additional symptoms like husky voice, slow reflex movement as well as cold dry skin. Effects of hypothyroidism can affect tissues in the victim’s body and skin loses its natural sheen. Some men suffer from an enlarged thyroid gland. It is also possible for some affected people to get puffy face and body parts. If the ailment goes undetected and untreated, victims can suffer from cardiac ailments. Apart from affecting physical health of affected lot, hypothyroidism also takes a toll on the mental health. Hypothyroidism victims often suffer from poor concentration and memory loss.

Test for hypothyroidism – For Proper Detection

Hypothyroidism still remains difficult to detect and conventional diagnosis measures often fail to detect its presence in human body. Test for hypothyroidism is not rare but chances are there that the presence of the ailment may go undetected in some cases. As a matter of fact, a person afflicted with mild hypothyroidism can appear to be normal to doctors. In majority of cases, blood tests and TSH tests are used for detecting hypothyroidism. However, relying on Thyroid Panel method can yield inaccurate results in some cases. For detecting mild low thyroid levels the TRH test is thought to be more accurate. However, it is not affordable and not conducted in many labs.