Written by Editorial Team
At the time, when children play and enjoy their childhood to the fullest, there are some children who have to fight against several hazardous issues such as Hypothyroidism that restricts the normal growth and development of the child. Children tend to exhibit a very slow growth, limited metabolism along with an all-time fatigue.
With that being said, let’s understand how this fatal disease takes place in children and some natural ways to prevent it. However, we shall begin with some introduction to the Thyroid Gland.
Thyroid Gland is a part of our Endocrine system located near our neck region. It is a ductless gland and has a shape of a butterfly. It is well-known to produce two essential hormones namely, Thyroxine (T4) as well as Triiodothyronine (T3) which are responsible for promoting overall growth in Children. They play a vital role in maintaining heart rate, proper brain development and also in synchronizing the working of all the body organs.
When the thyroid gland becomes incapable of producing ample amount of hormones that will regulate the body functioning in a systematic manner, the condition of Hypothyroidism occurs. Also, the low production of the other hormones or the high growth of the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) that occurs in the pituitary gland leads to this situation.
Hypothyroidism persists in 4 types in children:
Following are some main causes that lead to hypothyroidism in children:
Hypothyroidism will never be detected at one go and one will have to check for symptoms.
There are different symptoms of Hypothyroidism in children, some of them are given below:
Once you recognize such symptoms in your child’s growth, be quick in taking them to the doctor for a checkup.
To check for Hypothyroidism in your child, the doctor would ask for an immediate blood test to analyze hormone level in the bloodstream. This test will easily diagnose the low thyroxine (T4) and high TSH levels in the blood to claim Hypothyroidism. Also, the Anti-thyroid antibody test is done to check the antibodies levels and if they are high then, it indicates autoimmune hypothyroidism. Even Ultrasound brings the clear picture of the thyroid gland and the lymph nodes. It is helpful in easy detection of hypothyroidism.
As hypothyroidism indicates insufficiency in the thyroid hormones, daily hormone therapy is the key to treat this condition. The doctor will provide a pill named levothyroxine. The dose is determined based on the age of the child and the intensity of the condition. This pill is taken once a day on an empty stomach at about half an hour prior to the meal. Within a week after your child is under the medication, you will be able to see the difference. As Hypothyroidism is happening due to the iodine deficiency, it is essential to add more iodine-rich foods to the diet of your child.
The child suffering from Hypothyroidism must be provided with more of Iodine-rich foods such as Fish, dairy, eggs, iodine salt etc. Also, ensure the consumption of the given foods to avoid this condition.
Given below are some foods that must be included in Hypothyroidism:
Given below are some foods that must be avoided in Hypothyroidism:
Untreated hypothyroidism paves a way to many health complications are not good for a long time. Some of them are given below:
This disease requires a proper treatment that goes for a long-term so that there is no damage to the overall development of the children.
Hypothyroidism is a critical condition which must be treated on time to alleviate any damage to the child’s body growth. So, to avoid any further complications, it is essential to take proper preventive measures that help in controlling this condition. Along with this, you need to include proper dietary supplements that provide proper nourishment to the body.
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