Myxedema is a severe endocrine disease that is considered by doctors as a form of hypothyroidism. Usually, pathology occurs against the background of slowing down the functions of the thyroid gland. Often, the disease manifests itself in women who suffer from hormonal imbalance. However, men are often exposed to myxedema of the thyroid gland. Let's look at the features of the course of the disease. We will also highlight the causes and symptoms of myxedema, talk about the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Reasons
Myxedema - what is it? A slow thyroid gland causes the production of insufficient amounts of hormones. Against the background of the phenomenon, severe disruptions occur in the body. The pathological condition is called in clinical practice hypothyroidism. A severe form of the presented disease is actually myxedema.
The progress of the disease leads to a violation of internal secretion or the complete disappearance of the production of the hormone thyroxine. Often this happens as a result of an infectious lesion of the body, in particular, with severe tonsillitis, syphilis. Brain injuries can provoke disruptions in the functioning of the endocrine system.
According toAccording to some experts, myxedema is a consequence of improperly performed therapy with exposure of the patient to X-ray irradiation or the result of poor-quality surgical operations. This can potentially lead to a change in the functions of the secretory glands.
The cause of myxedema in rare cases is the living conditions of a person. The disease is often found in a significant part of the population in places where there is a lack of iodine in the food and water consumed. Non-compliance with hygiene also plays a certain role, for example, living in rooms with a high level of humidity in the surrounding space.
Symptomatics
Myxedema disease, photo manifestations of which can be seen in our material, can make itself felt in the form of numerous negative phenomena from a number of organs and systems. This is explained by the fact that the hormones that are produced by the thyroid gland affect the general condition of the whole organism. However, there are specific symptoms of myxedema. Among them are:
- Swelling of the subcutaneous tissue. When pressing on the affected tissues, a depression is formed, which is stable.
- The appearance of mask-like facial features. The skin in the presented area becomes puffy, pronounced bags form under the patient's eyes.
- Changing the structure of the skin. Against the background of dystrophic changes, exfoliation of the dermis occurs. There is also increased fragility of hair and nails.
- Injury to the vocal cords. The latter are inflamed andswell. The voice of a person prone to the development of myxedema acquires a hoarse or rough character. As the disease progresses, speech becomes increasingly slurred.
Since myxedema is a form of hypothyroidism, symptoms such as increased drowsiness, loss of appetite, decreased overall tissue tone, motor dysfunction, joint pain can be added to the above symptoms.
Pretibial myxedema
A special kind of disease is its pretibial form. Unlike the classical course of the disease, the pathology is characterized not by a reduced, but, on the contrary, by an increased secretion of hormones that are produced by the thyroid gland. The result is the appearance of distinct roughness and keratinized areas on the surface of the skin. Often, patients who suffer from a disease in this form complain of a feeling of severe itching, which leads to scratching of the skin and the appearance of wounds. What therapy is used for classical and pretibial myxedema? Treatment of the disease will be considered later in the material.
Myxedema in children
In babies, the disease is early or congenital. In both cases, the pathology is characterized by delays in physical, sexual and mental development. The earlier malfunctions in the functioning of the endocrine system appear, the more severe the consequences of myxedema that develops in a child. Therefore, an extremely important moment in childhood is the saturation of the body with iodine.
The most severe manifestation of the disease is cretinism. Not less thangrowth retardation seriously affects the quality of life of babies with this disease. The consequences of the above manifestations often become external deformities, noticeable lags in intellectual development compared to peers.
Diagnostic Methods
The diagnosis of myxedema is handled by endocrinologists. To confirm the presence of the disease, investigators may use the following solutions:
- Comparison of patient complaints with characteristic symptoms.
- Palpation of inflamed areas of the skin, in which the presence of stable depressions in the tissues is noted.
- Studies of hormone levels in the blood.
- Ultrasound diagnosis of the state of the thyroid gland.
- Performing a puncture using a biopsy.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the thyroid gland.
- Identification of complications that accompany myxedema.
Diet
With myxedema, the use of a special diet is of particular importance. A person who suffers from such an ailment is advised to eat more foods high in iodine. First of all, we are talking about kelp, sea fish, walnuts. Regular s alt should be replaced with iodized s alt. Compliance with such a diet helps to restore the functionality of the thyroid gland and relieve the main symptoms of myxedema.
Drug therapy
The main task in the fight against the development of pathology is the replenishment of the volume of hormones, which ininadequately produced by the thyroid gland. Doctors individually select pharmacological preparations for each patient, determine dosages and draw up a treatment regimen. Specialists are guided by the causes that led to the formation of myxedema, the specifics of clinical manifestations, the general state of human he alth, and age-related features.
Often, in order to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, drugs such as Triiodothyronine and Thyroidine are prescribed. These funds are rich in iodine, which has a beneficial effect on the state of the thyroid gland. Additionally, hormonal therapy is prescribed, in particular, taking medications that contain glucocorticoids.
Folk treatments
To stop the symptoms of myxedema potentially allows the use of the following traditional medicine:
- Decoction based on chopped walnuts, honey, garlic and dill seeds. A remedy prepared using these ingredients helps to improve the functionality of the thyroid gland. Take this medicine several times a day.
- Decoction of field chamomile, blueberry leaves, pine buds, fumes and Irish lichen. The product is prepared in a water bath. The composition is filtered through gauze or a fine sieve. The liquid must be cooled and taken periodically throughout the day.
- Decoction of honey, lemon peels and flax seeds. The components are boiled for several minutes over medium heat. The liquid is filtered and consumed several times a day.
- Seaweed is widely used in folk medicine to maintain thyroid function. Dried kelp is ground to a powder and taken in a teaspoon once a day, previously added to food or mixed in water.
Who is at risk
As practice shows, most often myxedema develops in people who have poor heredity. We are talking about children whose parents suffered from diabetes, chronic thyroid disease, kidney failure.
Careful should also be people who have undergone complex operations. The consequences of poor-quality surgical interventions can be disruptions in the endocrine system.
The risk group includes persons who abuse the unauthorized use of certain pharmacological preparations. In particular, myxedema can develop in people who take drugs with elevated levels of sodium and prolactin.
Prevention
Preventive measures that can prevent the development of myxedema include the following:
- Regular diagnosis of thyroid function.
- Control over the amount of iodine intake.
- Periodic examination by an endocrinologist.
Predictions for myxedema
The disease is characterized by a slow increase in symptoms. With timely identification of the problem and the application of suitable, adequatetreatment, the course of the disease will not critically affect the quality of human life. In this case, myxedema will develop benignly. In fact, it will not be possible to completely get rid of the pathology. Therapy will have to be carried out throughout life.
If we talk about the development of myxedema at an early age, the forecasts here are not so favorable. With timely recognition of the pathology, the well-being of the child can be improved thanks to hormone replacement therapy. However, this will not completely eliminate the symptoms of the disease, which will definitely make themselves felt in the course of growing up.
In conclusion
So we looked at the causes, symptoms and treatment of myxedema. Finally, it is worth noting that with such a serious disease of the endocrine system, you should not resort to self-therapy. Before using any pharmacological preparations or traditional medicine, it is imperative to consult a doctor. Only in this case it is possible to achieve a positive effect and avoid causing even more harm to he alth.
