Is my thyroid causing fatigue, hair loss?

Is my thyroid causing fatigue, hair loss?

Asked by Christie, Arizona

“I was diagnosed with a slightly slower thyroid about a year ago when I was on the Atkins diet. I went off the diet, gained back the weight and now I am having the hardest time losing it again. My hair is half its usual thickness and I am tired all the time. Can this be from my thyroid?”

Conditions Expert
Dr. Otis Brawley
 Chief Medical Officer,
American Cancer Society

Expert answer
Given your symptoms, I am concerned that you might have hypothyroidism. This is a condition in which the thyroid does not secrete enough hormone. I would recommend that you consult an internal medicine specialist or an endocrinologist and discuss your concerns. It is sometimes appropriate to simply monitor a slightly hypoactive thyroid, but most hypoactive thyroids eventually need treatment.

The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck. It secretes thyroid hormone, which controls our rate of metabolism. Someone who has a hyperactive thyroid has a gland that is secreting too much hormone. They are hyperactive. They will have weight loss. Thinning of hair is common, but hair loss is uncommon. These patients have a faster heart rate and sometimes even a slightly higher temperature and sweating. People with very bad hyperactive thyroids will have a prominent bulging of the eyes and difficulty sleeping. They will initially be treated with beta blockers to slow metabolism and then will be treated with drugs to block thyroid secretion. Radioactive iodine is sometimes given to destroy the hyperactive thyroid. Surgical removal is also sometimes a treatment option.

People who have no thyroid gland or hypoactive thyroids (thyroids that produce too little thyroid hormone) have a generalized slowing of the metabolic processes. They are fatigued, can have slow movement and slow speech. They have a slow heart rate, are cold intolerant, can have constipation and often have weight gain. These patients have skin that is cool and pale because of decreased blood flow. Hair may be coarse. Hair loss is common, and the nails become brittle. Anemia is also common. The voice can deepen.

Hypothyroidism is common in adults and is usually due to an autoimmune disorder in which the patient’s immune system damages or destroys the thyroid. Iodine deficiency is a common cause of hypothyroidism in some countries in which foods are not fortified with iodine. A few people have hypothyroidism because of ingestion of radioactive iodine after nuclear accidents. Radioactive iodine in high dose can destroy the thyroid.

In the U.S. and Western Europe, hypothyroidism may occur in up to one in 25 adults with more than half being unaware that they are hypothyroid. It is often not diagnosed, although the diagnosis can usually be done through some widely available simple blood tests.

Treatment of hypothyroidism involves thyroid replacement through administration of oral medication. Synthetic thyroxine given once a day is the most common replacement drug. It is monitored through blood tests and the proper dose is created for each patient.

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Survey – Kiwi Men Worried About Their Looks

By Fleur Revell, Survey – Kiwi Men Worried About Their Looks – a new study has revealed hair loss, dandruff and gaining weight are the biggest concerns for Kiwi males.

Kiwi men are worried about their looks with hair loss, dandruff and weight gain their three biggest concerns according to a new trans-Tasman study.
 
The Head & Shoulders Hair Retain Survey showed that more than a quarter of men (29%) said they were worried about having dandruff and just over a quarter (26%) were concerned about losing their hair.
 
The results also show that New Zealand males were anxious about their waistlines as well as their hairlines! Just under two thirds of Kiwi men (63%) were concerned about putting on weight, compared to just less than half of their Australian counterparts.
 
Auckland psychologist Sara Chatwin says having hair is closely aligned with many masculine characteristics so when men lose their hair, their self-esteem often plummets.
 
“Many men define themselves by the way they wear their hair. This may be due to traditional beliefs that suggest hair is associated with virility, social status, strength and youth,” says Chatwin.
 
“When their hair diminishes or gets dandruff (that is perceived as dirty) men may feel less virile, weak, older and generally less attractive,” she says.
 
Chatwin says with this in mind men will often go “the extra distance” to ensure their hair is full, dandruff flake free and healthy looking.
 
“These days men are taking more time to look after their personal grooming habits and hair maintenance is part of that package,” she says.
 
This may be the case for Kiwi men but when it comes to appearances it seems Australian men aren’t nearly as alarmed about certain aspects of their appearance!  Only 13% of Australian men worried about dandruff and just 18% said they were apprehensive about hair loss.
 
Kiwi respondents said that when it came to wrinkles they were not overly concerned, with only 17% saying it was an issue for them; excess hair was even less of a worry with 13% of Kiwi men saying being overly hairy upset them.
 
Interestingly Kiwi women were also more concerned about men’s hair than any other appearance issues. Eight out of 10 Kiwi women said dandruff on a man’s shoulders was more of a turn-off than thinning hair! Six out of 10 women surveyed also said that unkempt hair on men was a sign of laziness.
 
Nearly half (47%) of Kiwi women thought men with a full head of hair are generally more attractive compared to 44% of Australian women.
 
When it came to males Kiwi women were generally less concerned withbaldness just 15% said bald patches were the first thing they noticed about a man, compared to 22% of Australian women.
 
Similarly hair was not considered a strong predictor of success with just 12% and 13% of Kiwi and Australian women respectively saying men with a full head of hair tend to be more successful.
 
The survey was commissioned by Head & Shoulders to launch its new Hair Retain for Men shampoo. The specially formulated product works to reduce dandruff flakes from the first wash but also smoothes the scalp, slows down hair fall due to breakage and provides hair care and protection.

Do you have Hair Loss Problems, read our Hair Loss Help