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Risks for Developing Hypothyroidism

Factors Contributing to an Underactive Thyroid Gland

Sep 4, 2009 Jim Lowrance

There are genetic factors and other natural events that occur in life that place people at higher risk for the development of thyroid disease.

Thyroid diseases can affect anyone at any point in their lives there are however things that can add to the already present potential or probability that a person will develop a disease or disorder affecting thyroid hormone balance. With 80% of thyroid problems being in the hypothyroidism (under-functioning) category, this is the area that will be addressed in the following subheadings.

Being Female

If a person is female, rather than male, her chance for developing hypothyroidism has already increased at least five-fold. While statistics vary, it can be reasonably stated that thyroid disease in-general is no less than five times more common in women than in men. The female endocrine system (hormone producing) is more complicated than that of males due to there being the reproductive organs present, for giving birth and that experience the cycling each month from the age of puberty that signals times of high fertility (menses).

The fertility cycles that occur in females cause wide swings in the levels of sex, adrenal and thyroid hormones and may be the reason hormone imbalances and diseases develop more often affecting the endocrine systems of women. The endocrine system as a whole works in unison or what might be referred to as “a loop” or “in sync” and so changes in the levels of one endocrine hormone, can affect the levels of others.

It may be possible that these changes in endocrine hormones trigger an immune system response in some women (autoimmune disease), in which antibodies are created to attack the glands causing these wide fluctuations. When, the thyroid gland is affected it is referred to as “thyroid autoimmunity”. As women enter the age when reproduction responsiveness slows down (menopause), this too may contribute to thyroid hormone imbalance. Some sources also believe birth control pills may contribute to development of thyroid problems.

Being the Offspring of Parents with Thyroid Disease

If one or both of a person’s parents have thyroid disease, this places him at high risk for developing his own thyroid problems. According to Hossein Gharib, M.D., a member of the AACE (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) and a medical research professor at the Mayo Medical College, 50% of thyroid disorder parents will have offspring that inherit the gene responsible for thyroid disease development. Some medical sources believe thyroid problems can be present in children of thyroid disease parents, at birth or in early childhood but will not be detectable in most of them until about the age of 35 or 40 years.

Pregnancy

Approximately two percent of women who become pregnant, develop under-active thyroid glands. Thyroid disorders during pregnancy can range from temporary thyroiditis to permanent hypothyroidism requiring lifelong treatment (25% are permanent). Thyroid disorders can manifest during pregnancy or following (postpartum) and estimates state that up to 10% of cases develop within a year after giving birth. Most cases involve under-active thyroid glands with only about 1% being cases of hyperthyroidism (overactive).

Senior Citizens

Generally, thyroid disease occurs most commonly in the general population at between the ages of 35 and 40. Those who do not develop thyroid problems due to other factors as detailed in the previous subheadings can still develop age-related hypothyroidism as they reach their senior years. Approximately 15% of women develop hypothyroidism by the age of 60 years and approximately 8% of men do so by the same age.

These cases are generally not due to a disease process but are a result of diminished ability in their thyroids to produce the needed levels of hormones. Their glands are in-essence experiencing a degree of atrophy, meaning shrinkage and diminished ability to function at pre-senior age levels. If thyroid symptoms do not appear in males or females by age 40, it is still recommended that blood testing of thyroid hormones be conducted to rule out developing thyroid disease.

The copyright of the article Risks for Developing Hypothyroidism in General Medicine is owned by Jim Lowrance. Permission to republish Risks for Developing Hypothyroidism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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