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Hypothyroidism, low iron and anemia: fatigue

Ever wondered why you feel fatigued all the day? What actually is fatigue? Fatigue is

something you describe as a feeling of tiredness which can be distinguished from

weakness, and has and sets up gradually. In contrast to weakness fatigue can be

relieved by short and long resting periods depending upon its severity. Fatigue can be

due to any physical or mental/ psychological issues. Physical fatigue is the temporary

incapacity of a muscle of the body to sustain its optimal mechanical state and is

worsened by rigorous physical activity. Mental or psychological fatigue is a

temporary reduction in optimal cognitive performance resulting from prolonged

periods of cognitive activity. It can manifest as somnolence, lethargy, or directed

attention fatigue

Fatigue is a manifestation of an underlying pathology and is explained in many ways

from feeling low, weak to being continually tired or lacking energy. There may be

other associated symptoms depending upon the actual cause of fatigue.

Hypothyroidism and iron deficiency anemia are two of the leading causes of feeling

fatigues all the day. You must have heard both these words a lot of times and from a

lot of people. Now what exactly they are, we shall discuss in the content to follow.

The thyroid gland is gland is located in the front of your neck just below your Adam's

apple. It is an endocrine gland and hence secreted some hormones, two to be exact.

One is the thyroxine called as T4 while the other is triiodothyronine called T3. These

are involved in regulating your metabolic rate as well as functions of your heart and

digestive system, control muscles, development of the brain and are responsible for

maintenance of your bones. Optimal function of your thyroid glands depends upon an

adequate quantity of iodine from in your diet. This condition called hypothyroidism is

produced when your thyroid glands secrete lesser amounts thyroid hormones than

they should which in turn lead to lower metabolic rates. There are a variety of causes

responsible for producing hypothyroidism, some of them are:

• Autoimmune diseases which lead to destruction of your thyroid glands

• Brain causes leading to lower stimulation of thyroid glands to produce

hormones

• Genetic causes

• Nutritional deficiencies

• Thyroid surgery and radiation therapy which was done previously

• Certain medications used to treat an overactive thyroid

Now, what are the symptoms produced by hypothyroidism? There can be a variety of

symptoms some of which are:

o Increased weight

o Slow responses and movements and slow speech patterns

o Bizarre sensations like needles or pins

o Shortness of breath

o Dizziness and faintness

o Heart palpitations

o Decreased libido and low sex drive

o Eye dryness

o Hoarsening of voice

o Swallowing difficulties

o Loss of hair

o Skin dryness

o Muscular spasms and pains

o Low appetite

o Chronic constipation

So if you are facing any of the above-mentioned symptoms along with fatigability,

you should be assessed for the function of your thyroid glands. The best test for this is

a hormone assay which gives the exact quantity of the two thyroid hormones

circulating in your blood along with another hormone called Thyroid Stimulating

Hormone (TSH) which is secreted by the brain. If its value turns out to be on the

higher side along with depressed values of thyroid hormones, a case of

hypothyroidism is confirmed.

Once diagnosed, it is easily treatable with some specific medication and a modified

lifestyle. Thyroxine in its various forms is the medicine used to treat hypothyroidism

and in most cases, has to be taken for the lifetime. Some foods called Goitrogenic

foods act just as an antithyroid drug in suppressing the thyroid function. They hinder

the thyroid from utilizing available iodine. Examples of such foods include:

➢ Brussel sprouts, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage and kale

➢ Almonds, nuts like peanuts and walnuts

➢ Sweet corn, sorghum, millet and soya

Now let’s have a look on the other major cause of excessive fatigue, the iron

deficiency anemia. Anemia is basically a generic term used to denote the decreased

ability of the blood to carry oxygen. One of the causes of anemia is the deficiency of

iron inside the body. Without adequate iron, your body can't manufacture enough of a

chemical in the red blood cells that equip them to carry oxygen, called hemoglobin.

Resultantly, iron deficiency anemia may keep you tired, exhausted and short of

breath.

Some of the clinical manifestations of iron deficiency anemia are as follows:

• Persistent and heavy fatigue

• Generalized weakness

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Hypothyroidism, low iron and anemia: fatigue Ever wondered why you feel fatigued all the day? What actually is fatigue? Fatigue is something you describe as a feeling of tiredness which can be distinguished from weakness, and has and sets up gradually. In contrast to weakness fatigue can be relieved by short and long resting periods depending upon its severity. Fatigue can be due to any physical or mental/ psychological issues. Physical fatigue is the temporary incapacity of a muscle of the body to sustain its optimal mechanical state and is worsened by rigorous physical activity. Mental or psychological fatigue is a temporary reduction in optimal cognitive performance resulting from prolonged periods of cognitive activity. It can manifest as somnolence, lethargy, or directed attention fatigue Fatigue is a manifestation of an underlying pathology and is explained in many ways from feelin ...
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