Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid

Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid

Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid | Moves in Medicine

Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid | Moves in Medicine

Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid | Moves in Medicine

Tired, gaining weight, always cold? It could be the thyroid | Moves in Medicine

CHALFONT, Pa. (WPVI) -- Fatigue, dry skin, inability to lose weight.

It could be menopause or chronic fatigue - but maybe it's Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

It's a very common thyroid condition, but one easily remedied if it's recognized.

"I was always tired, I'm always cold, couldn't lose weight," says Eileen McDonnell of Chalfont, Pennsylvania.

Four years ago, McDonnell thought her busy work and family life was wearing her down.

Her yearly medical exam revealed another cause.

"They did a thyroid exam and felt a goiter at my throat. They did a follow-up ultrasound, and found several thyroid nodules," she explains.

Blood tests showed McDonnell had Hashimoto's disease.

"This is caused by autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland," says Dr. Kristin Criner, a Temple Health endocrinologist.

Dr. Criner says the body's immune system wrongly attacks the butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck.

Genetics and environmental factors, such as infections, stress, or radiation exposure, may be triggers. It overwhelmingly affects women.

"It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 30 and 60, with peak prevalence between 30 and 50 years," she says.

Symptoms can be vague and vary from one person to the next.

Fatigue, intolerance to cold, weight gain, dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, and constipation are among the most common.

There are also muscle or joint aches and stiffness, or swelling of the thyroid.

"The disease can be mistaken for other diseases such as depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, anemia, other autoimmune disorders, or menopause even," Dr. Criner says.

She says diagnosis usually involves two tests: TSH and a serum-free T4. Thyroid replacement pills are the solution.

"I've been on replacement for probably four years, and it's been stable," says McDonnell. "It's given me more energy to exercise."

That's made weight control and keeping up with a busy schedule easier.

McDonnell says to not ignore your symptoms.

"Get checked out because it could be simple enough to fix," she says.

Because thyroid hormones power so much of the body, Dr. Criner says it's essential to take medication consistently and get regular checkups to see if thyroid hormone levels need to be adjusted.