Hypothyroidism is not always caused by the thyroid itself

While the thyroid itself is responsible for the improper hormone production that leads to the disorder, the actual cause for the disorder may be manifestation of problems within the pituitary gland, responsible to providing the signals to the thyroid regarding the amounts of each hormone to produce.

As with any production system there are downstream and upstream factors that must be considered when developing a treatment for cases of hypothyroidism. Many manifestations of the disorder arise after damage has occurred to the tissue of the thyroid gland, reducing the capacity of the body to produce thyroid hormones required to regulate and maintain normal cell metabolism.

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The disorder is usually diagnosed via symptomatic analysis and subsequent blood testing, but further testing may be required to derive the exact cause of the hormone levels being deviant from normal. In certain cases the regulatory function of the pituitary gland and the signals it provides to the thyroid are found to be at fault. Rather than being unable to produce the required thyroid hormones through a lack of thyroid tissue, the thyroid gland may instead be receiving inappropriate signals and inputs from the pituitary gland.

When the disorder is a result of incorrect functioning of the mechanisms that maintain the correct functioning of the thyroid, rather than a malfunctioning of the thyroid itself, the disorder is deemed to be caused by secondary factors. Due to the complex nature of pituitary function, care must be taken when establishing treatment regimes.

The upshot of pituitary gland function being flawed over a primary thyroid disorder is that the thyroid itself can often be perfectly healthy, just running on incorrect inputs. Once these inputs are corrected, the patient can return to normal thyroid function and experience minimal discomfort. This is a much cheerier scenario than that of the primary sufferer, who may no longer have a functional thyroid.

The level of Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) provided by the pituitary gland controls the hormone production of the thyroid gland itself. If the level of TSH provided is not suitably adjusted to the body’s needs, there will commonly arise hypothyroidism.

Symptoms to note are puffy skin, drowsiness, weight gain and other symptoms that are also common to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a primary thyroid disorder, caused by damage to thyroid tissue resulting autoimmune response and inflammation of the thyroid tissue.

When the pituitary gland itself is functional, but is receiving improper signals that entail its own outputs are not correct for the thyroid gland to maintain required hormone levels, the condition is deemed to be caused by tertiary factors. This can often be a result of incorrect signaling from the hypothalamus.

Sufferers of hypothyroidism should make sure that the treatment they are receiving is appropriate for their condition, in order that they are not receiving drugs without necessity. By understanding the relationship between the body’s complex biological systems and the ways in which each system will feedback into the others, a sufferer can make their day and life better.