{"id":175,"date":"2022-04-07T12:10:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T19:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.thyroidaware.com\/za\/?post_type=post_thyroid&#038;p=175"},"modified":"2025-02-05T11:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T19:24:10","slug":"about-the-thyroid","status":"publish","type":"post_thyroid","link":"https:\/\/www2.thyroidaware.com\/za\/thyroid\/about-the-thyroid\/","title":{"rendered":"About The Thyroid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color:#8416ae\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ located at the base of the neck, in front of the windpipe. It is the \u201cmaster controller\u201d of metabolism, and plays a key role in our health and wellbeing.<sup>1,2<\/sup> It makes, stores and releases thyroid hormones into the blood, thus regulating metabolism.<sup>2<\/sup> These hormones are essential for the proper functioning of all bodily tissues and organs.<sup>3<\/sup> They enable our body to use its stores of energy efficiently, thereby controlling temperature and allowing our muscles to work properly.<sup>3<\/sup><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:18px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>WHO IS AT RISK?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thyroid dysfunction is very common throughout the world, especially in women.<sup>4,5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Certain times in a woman\u2019s life make her more vulnerable to thyroid problems. These include:<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recent pregnancy (hyperthyroidism) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Experiencing hormonal changes due to pregnancy, childbirth or during the menopause (hypothyroidism)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of your sex, you are at risk of thyroid dysfunctions if you:<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Have a family history of thyroid problems (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have an autoimmune disease such as type 1 diabetes (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are over the age of 60 years (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a personal history of thyroid disorders or have had thyroid surgery (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have Down\u2019s or Turner\u2019s syndrome (hypothyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a personal history of lithium use (hypothyroidism)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have consumed significant amounts of iodine via food or medication (hyperthyroidism)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>People whose necks have been exposed to radiation are also more likely to suffer from thyroid problems.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n      <section class=\"reference-content\">\n        <div class=\"ref-header\">\n          <a class=\"collapsed\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapseExample\" role=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapseExample\">\n            <i class=\"fas\"><\/i>\n            References          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"collapse content-collapse\" id=\"collapseExample\">\n          <div class=\"row\">\n            <div class=\"col-12 text-reference\">\n              <ol>\n<li>American Thyroid Association. Thyroid blood tests and general well-being, mood and brain function. Available at: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">articulo<\/a>. Last accessed February 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Europan Thyroid Association. Thyroid blood tests and general well-being, mood and brain function. Available at: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thyroid.org\/patient-thyroid-information\/ct-for-patients\/august-2016\/vol-9-issue-8-p-8-9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.thyroid.org\/patient-thyroid-information\/ct-for-patients\/august-2016\/vol-9-issue-8-p-8-9\/<\/a>. Last accessed February 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Chicago Thyroid Association. Thyroid blood tests and general well-being, mood and brain function. Available at: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thyroid.org\/patient-thyroid-information\/ct-for-patients\/august-2016\/vol-9-issue-8-p-8-9\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.thyroid.org\/patient-thyroid-information\/ct-for-patients\/august-2016\/vol-9-issue-8-p-8-9\/<\/a>. Last accessed February 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Everyday Health. Are you at risk for thyroid disease? Available at: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/thyroid-conditions\/evaluating-your-thyroid-disease-risk.aspx.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">http:\/\/www.everydayhealth.com\/thyroid-conditions\/evaluating-your-thyroid-disease-risk.aspx.<\/a> Last accessed February 2025.<\/li>\n<li>Taylor PN, Albrecht D, Scholz A, et al. Global epidemiology of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2018 May;14(5):301-316. doi: 10.1038\/nrendo.2018.18. Epub 2018 Mar 23. PMID: 29569622.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>GL-NONE-00212<br>Date of Prep: February 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The thyroid gland is the &#8220;master controller&#8221; of metabolism, and plays a key role in our health and wellbeing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":791,"template":"","category_thyroid":[7],"class_list":["post-175","post_thyroid","type-post_thyroid","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category_thyroid-the-thyroid"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>About The Thyroid - Sud\u00e1frica<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www2.thyroidaware.com\/za\/thyroid\/about-the-thyroid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About The Thyroid - 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