Medical News Summary: Thyroid disease can affect cholesterol levels
About: Thyroid disease can affect cholesterol levels
Date: January 2005
Source: ajc – HealthDay News
Medical News Summary (summary of medical news story as reported by ajc – HealthDay News): More people have an awareness of cholesterol problems than thyroid problems. Over half of the estimated 27 million Americans who suffer under- or overactive thyroid are undiagnosed. Thyroid problems can cause blood cholesterol to rise to dangerous levels. The hormones that the thyroid gland produces control the metabolic functions for most of the body’s cells. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid produces too little thyroid hormone causing the body to slow down, hair becomes brittle, skin becomes dry and person is more sensitive to the cold. This can increase cholesterol levels as the liver’s ability to process the blood is inhibited. Hypothyroidism follows diet as the leading causes of high cholesterol which can lead to heart disease. 80% of thyroid disease sufferers are women with pregnant women and elderly women more prone. 1 in 50 pregnant US women are diagnosed with hypothyroidism and 5-17% are diagnosed with the condition after birth. Treatment of the thyroid condition easily fixes the cholesterol problem. Hyperthyroidism can result in an artificially lowered cholesterol level. Thus when hyperthyroidism treatment must be carefully monitored to ensure the cholesterol level does not increase as the treatment takes effect. Most thyroid disease cases are genetic and only diet can have any preventative effect at all. However, thyroid disease is easily treated with and inexpensive medication which has no side effects. Diagnosis involves a blood test.
URL: http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/thyd/523151.html
Related Disease Topics: Thyroid disease, High cholesterol, Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Pregnancy
Related Symptom Topics: Brittle hair, dry skin, cold sensitivity
Related Medical News Channels: This medical news summary article refers to the following medical channel categories:
- Diagnosis
- Diagnosis and thyroid disease
- Diagnosis and high cholesterol
- Diagnosis and hypothyroidism
- Diagnosis and hyperthyroidism
- Diagnosis and pregnancy
- Diagnosis and brittle hair
- Diagnosis and dry skin
- Diagnosis and cold sensitivity
- Undiagnosed
- Undiagnosed and thyroid disease
- Undiagnosed and high cholesterol
- Undiagnosed and hypothyroidism
- Undiagnosed and hyperthyroidism
- Undiagnosed and pregnancy
- Undiagnosed and brittle hair
- Undiagnosed and dry skin
- Undiagnosed and cold sensitivity
- risk and thyroid disease
- risk and high cholesterol
- risk and hypothyroidism
- risk and hyperthyroidism
- risk and pregnancy
- Risk and brittle hair
- cause of high cholesterol
- cause of hypothyroidism
- cause of hyperthyroidism
- cause of pregnancy
- cause of brittle hair
- cause of thyroid disease
- Medication
- medication and thyroid disease
- medication and high cholesterol
- medication and hypothyroidism
- medication and hyperthyroidism
- medication and pregnancy
- medication and brittle hair
- medication and dry skin
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