The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate body functions. The thyroid gland needs to function normally. If it doesn’t, your health will suffer. Dr. Juan Carlos Zubieta at North Houston Diabetes Institute in Humble, TX, offers comprehensive diabetes care, including diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease.

What You Need To Know About Thyroid Disease

Let’s look at the role of the thyroid gland in your body. The thyroid produces hormones that affect:

• Metabolism, producing the energy your body needs to function well
• Heart rate, causing your heart rate to speed up or slow down
• Digestion, causing food to travel down the digestive tract
• Body temperature, causing your body temperature to decrease or climb higher

Hormones from the thyroid gland also regulate brain development, muscle contraction, and replacement of cells in the body. As you can see, hormones from the thyroid gland have a wide effect on the body. Thyroid disease can cause thyroid impairment, dramatically changing your health.

There are three main types of thyroid problems, which are:

• Hypothyroidism, is when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones
• Hyperthyroidism, is when your thyroid produces excessive hormones
• Nodules on the thyroid, which can be an early sign of thyroid cancer

Depending on the type of thyroid disease, your thyroid specialist may recommend medications to decrease or increase thyroid hormone production. In cases of growths or nodules on the thyroid, these need to be removed and biopsied to detect the presence of cancerous cells.

If cancerous cells are present, additional thyroid surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy may be advised. If the entire thyroid gland needs to be removed, thyroid hormone supplements are typically recommended.

Want To Know More About Thyroid Disease?

To learn more about the causes, signs, symptoms, and treatment of thyroid diseases, contact Dr. Juan Carlos Zubieta at North Houston Diabetes Institute in Humble, TX. His office number is (832) 644-9595, so call today.