Beware of Disinformation Surrounding Thyroid Health

As one of the main glands that controls cellular function, the thyroid can take credit for assisting with a lot of the inner workings of the human body. However, it is also an easy, and often erroneous, place to cast blame when something feels a little off. 

“There is so much disinformation about thyroid disease, it’s hard to know where to begin,” said Dr. Monica Moreno, endocrinologist for Intermountain Health. 

While the three main thyroid-related issues—hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid nodules—are very real and may need medical attention, Dr. Moreno said it is important for patients to consider that there may be other underlying causes contributing to things like fatigue and weight fluctuations. 

“Our lives are stressful. A person’s diet may not be good. They’re busy, working long hours, all of which can lead to feelings of fatigue, weight gain, mood changes, hair loss, brittle nails, and dry skin,” Dr. Moreno said. “Because those can be symptoms of hypothyroidism, people often want to blame that rather than addressing the stress and lifestyle that could also be contributing factors.” 

In order to determine if such issues are thyroid related, the symptoms have to be correlated with a lab test, generally available through a patient’s primary care physician. “If the tests are normal, it is not always what the patient wants to hear,” Dr. Moreno said. “People want an explanation for their fatigue that goes beyond stress or lifestyle. They often want something that can be treated with a pill.” 

If the diagnosis is related to hypothyroidism, medication is often used to treat the problem. “Some patients can have transient hypothyroidism that comes and goes; others will need medication for life,” Dr. Moreno said. 

Hypothyroidism, which is a deficiency in the thyroid’s production of the thyroid hormone, is more common than hyperthyroidism, which is an overproduction of the thyroid hormone. According to Dr. Moreno, a primary care provider can easily manage most hypothyroid cases. If the issue is hyperthyroidism, often an endocrinologist will get involved. “Hyperthyroidism is not a chronic condition like hypo,” Dr. Moreno said. “Generally, medication or an ablation surgery can help resolve the hyperthyroid problem. 

“The most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune,” Dr. Moreno continued. “The distinction to remember is that Hashimoto’s disease can cause hypothyroidism, but hypothyroidism does not cause Hashimoto’s. It only goes one way.”  

As for thyroid nodules, Dr. Moreno said up to 50 percent of the population can have nodules without even knowing it, and 90 to 95 percent of nodules are noncancerous. 

“We don’t have screening recommendations for nodules given that this is a very slow-growing cancer and the percentage of those having this type of cancer is so low,” Dr. Moreno said. 

Thyroid nodules are often found incidentally when the patient is being examined for something else, and as a general rule, women are more impacted by thyroid issues than men. “There are two peaks for women when they may see a problem,” explained Dr. Moreno. “One is during the reproductive age (twenties and thirties) and the other is during menopausal age (forties or fifties). However, I see patients ages sixteen to eighty-five for hypothyroidism.” 

Although prevention is always a good idea when it comes to health, there is not much to be done to prevent thyroid problems beyond a basic healthy diet. 

“Sometimes things like thyroid nodules just happen. We don’t know why, but it doesn’t seem to be lifestyle related,” Dr. Moreno said. “Still, a healthy diet and lifestyle will help with everything, whether the root cause is thyroid or not.”