Among the wide variety of diseases, thyroid hypoplasia is a very rare pathology. It appears as a result of developmental disorders of the thyroid gland, when hormones are produced in deficiency and slow tissue growth is present. You can visually identify this pathology by determining the size of the thyroid gland. It is slightly smaller than usual, or some part of the organ is much smaller than others. Such a disease can develop for a long time, because this pathology does not have a pronounced symptomatic picture, and its functional changes are usually not noticed.
Views
Thyroid hypoplasia has several varieties. The main one is its diffuse form. It implies a congenital underdevelopment of the gland. They can also detect hypoplasia of the right or left side of the thyroid gland, depending on which part has remained underdeveloped. Suchcases are quite common. Doctors have their own classification to describe the type of pathology. The type of hypoplasia of the thyroid gland is determined by the size and volume of iron, the height and weight of the patient is also taken into account. Set the view using special tables.
In turn, hypoplasia has several stages:
- the first stage is expressed in subtle symptoms and an increase in the size of the gland;
- the second stage of the pathology is already manifesting itself more noticeably, all the symptoms can be seen clearly, in addition, the size of the thyroid gland itself becomes slightly smaller than usual;
- the third and final stage of hypoplasia is expressed by cretinism in children and the appearance of myxedema in older adults, at this stage the disease is considered an irreversible process.
The type of disease can be detected after an ultrasound examination.
Reasons
Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland appears as a result of gene mutations under the influence of various factors. This disease is formed during the development of the fetus. The causes of the origin of this disease may be the following factors:
- reducing the level of iodine in the body of a pregnant woman;
- heredity;
- hypothyroidism;
- thyroidin;
- exposure to chemicals;
- use of hormonal drugs;
- radiation impact on still undeveloped fetus.
Reduced iodine
The most common and common cause of thyroid hypoplasia islow iodine content in pregnant women. Pathology can appear naturally with a lack of a trace element that comes with food. Also, the cause of iodine deficiency can be a woman's hypothyroidism, which was not detected and untimely cured. In this case, the thyroid gland will produce too few hormones that are vital for the development of the fetus. The cause of hypoplasia can also be pathologies in the hypothalamic-pituitary system, which have not been treated for a long time.
Symptoms and signs
Symptomatic picture is detected in a child in the second, third month of life. The disease manifests differently in children and adults.
Children will notice the following signs of hypoplastic thyroid:
- poor appetite;
- drastic weight loss;
- hoarse voice;
- constant constipation;
- lethargy and drowsiness;
- impaired psychomotor development;
- delayed response to stimuli;
- attention disorder;
- prolonged jaundice.
If you do not see a doctor in time and do not undergo the necessary examination, during which the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment for hypoplastic left lobe of the thyroid gland, the disease can progress and eventually lead to cretinism (a common complication).
The disease in women is manifested by these symptoms:
- sexual dysfunction;
- decrease in libido;
- tight skin;
- lowlocation of the navel;
- speech disorders;
- underdeveloped genitals;
- strabismus;
- problems with short-term memory;
- depressed nose bridge;
- disproportionate physique;
- hoarse voice due to ligament swelling;
- brittle nails and hair;
- low appetite but rapid weight gain;
- disproportionately large head;
- discoordination.
If symptoms of thyroid hypoplasia are not detected at an early stage of development, then drug-induced edema (accumulation of mucus in the body cavity), respiratory failure, middle ear edema (progressive hearing loss), heart failure, swelling of the face (manifested in the form of smoothed contours of the oval of the face, swollen eyelids) and a slow heartbeat.
Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in women
This ailment in women can also occur at a more mature age. The main reason for this phenomenon is thyroid atrophy, which occurs for these reasons:
- autoimmune diseases;
- diseases of the pituitary gland;
- treatment of hypothyroidism with radioactive iodine at an early age;
- treatment with thyreostatic drugs (for example, Mercazolil);
- non-functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary system;
- tumor of the thyroid gland or tumors of adjacent organs;
- impaired supply of thyroid tissue;
- inflammation of thyroid tissue.
Such a disease can manifest itself in people of senile age due to the fact that the work of all their organs begins to deteriorate. Hypoplasia in adulthood usually causes cardiovascular problems - an increase in the volume of the heart as a result of the accumulation of fluid in the pericardial cavity.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis in the initial stages is a little problematic because the symptoms are not yet so pronounced. That is why it is so important to visit the endocrinologist every year so that he can detect the first signs of the disease. If the doctor nevertheless notices signs of hypoplasia, he will prescribe special tests, blood tests for the concentration of hormones, ultrasound.
Blood tests for hormones are done on all newborns to detect thyroid problems and start treatment right away.
You can notice hypoplastic thyroid in adulthood based on blood tests. In order to detect hypoplasia in time, it is necessary to be observed by an endocrinologist every year. If there is a suspicion of this pathology on the basis of blood tests, the following procedures are performed:
- puncture;
- Thyroid ultrasound;
- blood test.
During the puncture procedure, pathology can be detected by the content of glandular tissue. If it is absent or very little, then the disease is confirmed.
Therapy
The basis of the treatment of thyroid hypoplasia is hormone replacement therapy. In thisIn this case, the hormones that are produced by the gland are injected into the patient from the outside. Such treatment should not be interrupted and it lasts for life. Therapy is prescribed based on the timing of the start of treatment. If it was possible to identify the pathology earlier, at the initial stages, the faster and more effectively you can remove the irreversible changes that occur in the body.
Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland in children also happens.
If the disease is detected in an infant and treatment is started immediately, there will be a high chance that the child will not have problems with development and growth in the future.
If treatment is started late, then only a few symptoms of the disease can be eliminated. It is impossible to completely remove the consequences of neuro-psychological and physical changes at a later stage.
In addition to hormone therapy, the treatment necessarily includes gymnastics and massage, which can bring muscle tone back to normal.
Hypoplasia of the thyroid gland is an extremely serious disease, which is accompanied by a slowdown in metabolism and leads to developmental disorders.
Forecast
Prognosis for cure depends on the stage of the disease at which therapy was started. The earlier treatment was started, the more pathological changes can be avoided. In rare cases, in especially advanced situations, surgery is performed.
Hypoplasia is considered a dangerous disease, and therefore its treatment should be started immediately, as soon as the disease has been discovered. Do not postpone a visit to the doctor whendetection of the first signs of the disease.
How to prevent hypothyroidism in adults?
Prevention
Prevention of possible thyroid diseases in a child is to pay enough attention to the he alth of a pregnant woman. Following these simple rules will help keep the future baby he althy:
- taking essential vitamins that contain iodine;
- proper balanced nutrition;
- doctor's observation at the antenatal clinic;
- he althy lifestyle.
If a pregnant woman lives in an area where there is a shortage of iodine, then drugs that contain it are prescribed.
In order to reduce the risk of developing this pathology, it is necessary to take preventive measures:
- get regular check-ups;
- strengthen immunity;
- quit bad habits;
- timely treat chronic foci of infection;
- get enough iodine.
It must be remembered that regular examination by a doctor and timely treatment of diseases will help to eliminate and avoid many pathologies.
We looked at how to detect and treat hypothyroidism.
