The American Thyroid Association estimates up to 60 percent of people with thyroid disease don’t know it.
January is thyroid awareness month. One URMC doctor says it’s important that people know the symptoms of the most common thyroid diseases.
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland in the neck, which can have a major impact on how you feel.
“It tries to keep your energy level at an even basis. So, if you have problems where you’re secreting too much thyroid hormone, you can become hyper energetic. And if you have too little thyroid hormone, then you get tired and slow and don’t have enough energy,” says Dr. Stephen Hammes, an endocrinologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
He recommends that patients consult with their doctor if the experience low or high energy, weight gain or loss, or problems sleeping.
“A lot of thyroid disease is inherited. So, if you have a family history of relatives who have low or high thyroid levels then you might be more interested in doing random checks. But even then I think the symptoms are pretty clear cut, and so most of the time if you feel fine, there’s really no need to check a random thyroid level,” says Hammes.
The American Thyroid Association reports more than 12 percent of Americans will develop a thyroid condition in their lifetime.