Leaving hypothyroidism untreated can lead to serious, widespread health issues, including severe heart problems (like heart failure and high cholesterol), osteoporosis, infertility, nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy), and complications during pregnancy like pre-eclampsia, with the rarest, most severe form being life-threatening myxedema coma. It also causes chronic symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, and depression, affecting overall physical and mental function.
Most people can manage the condition with medication and regular follow-up visits with their endocrinologist. Left untreated over long periods of time, hypothyroidism can become life-threatening. If you develop new symptoms, it's important to get an evaluation.
Common symptoms include:
Hypothyroidism is the most common type of thyroid disorder. It means your thyroid gland is not active enough. This tiny gland is found in the front of your neck. Its job is to make thyroid hormone.
Untreated hypothyroidism and thyroiditis. Conditions such as sarcoidosis, amyloidosis, and neurofibromatosis that cause inflammation and tissue infiltration that can cause the tongue to become enlarged. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, jaw misalignment, and poor tooth alignment.
Hypothyroidism has many oral signs and symptoms, such as delayed deciduous teeth exfoliation, delayed eruption of secondary teeth, macroglossia, anterior open-bite, enamel defects, enamel hypoplasia, increased incidence of caries, and increased incidence of periodontal disease.
The 5 stages of Hashimoto's thyroiditis describe its progression from genetic susceptibility to full hypothyroidism, typically involving: 1) Genetic Risk, 2) Trigger & Antibody Production, 3) Subclinical Hypothyroidism (antibodies present, normal TSH), 4) Overt Hypothyroidism (low hormone, high TSH, symptoms appear), and 5) Advanced Stages (potential for other autoimmune issues or thyroid atrophy). While it progresses slowly, lifestyle changes can influence its advancement.
Hypothyroidism that isn't treated can lead to other health problems, including:
The main medication used to treat hypothyroidism is levothyroxine sodium (Synthroid, Levoxyl, and Levothroid), a synthetic version of thyroxine (T4), a thyroid hormone your body produces naturally.
Hypothyroidism is underactivity of the thyroid gland that leads to inadequate production of thyroid hormones and a slowing of vital body functions. Facial expressions become dull, the voice is hoarse, speech is slow, eyelids droop, and the eyes and face become puffy.
Signs and symptoms usually are exacerbations of the usual manifestations of hypothyroidism and may include extreme lethargy, which can progress to stupor or coma, hypothermia, respiratory depression, bradycardia, hyponatremia, and renal impairment.
Those symptoms most commonly related to thyroid deficiency include forgetfulness, fatigue, mental slowness, inattention, and emotional lability. The predominant affective disorder experienced is depression. Perceptual changes may develop with alterations of taste, hearing, and vision.
Myxedema coma represents a rare but often fatal manifestation of severe hypothyroidism that results from extreme deficiency of thyroid hormone. The condition involves multiple organ dysfunction and altered mental status, typically triggered by infection, cold exposure, or medication nonadherence.
Get Smart About Sleep
You might feel run down, even if you're taking medication. Yet all too often, “people with hypothyroidism don't get enough sleep, or the sleep they're getting isn't good quality,” Hatipoglu says. To ensure your body has a chance to rest and recover: Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night.
Unfortunately, routine thyroid screening for people at average risk is not cost-effective and, therefore, many cases are undiagnosed until they have symptoms. The end-stage of Hashimoto's is when your thyroid has become so damaged that you no longer have enough thyroid hormones and have to go on medication.
Does Hypothyroidism Affect Life Expectancy? With proper treatment, a person with hypothyroidism usually has a normal life expectancy, with little or no decrease in quality of life. 1 Hypothyroidism generally carries a greater life expectancy than hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).
The greatest risks of long-term treatment with levothyroxine are: An increased risk of heart disease, especially in older adults and people with pre-existing heart conditions. An increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, especially in post-menopausal women and elderly patients above 70 years of age.
Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can cause sleep issues. In patients with hyperthyroidism, the nervousness and arousal associated with the condition can prevent patients from falling asleep normally. Increased perspiration caused by the condition can lead to night sweats, waking the patient during the night.
On the other hand, it is important to remember that some berries and citrus fruits like strawberries and peaches contain goitrogens. Since it can interfere with the thyroid glands' iodine uptake, eating these fruits of a larger quality can lead to hyperthyroidism.
In people living with an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), the body's metabolism slows down. This can often lead to many symptoms, including lethargy and fatigue. In people with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), the body's metabolism speeds up.
Symptoms of Hashimoto's disease
A great breakfast for Hashimoto's focuses on protein and healthy fats to keep you full and stabilize blood sugar. Options like an egg scramble (or a plant-based egg) with vegetables and avocado, a protein smoothie with non-dairy milk, or chia seed pudding with fruit are excellent choices.
Stage 4: Subclinical hypothyroidism
It's at this point that the gland's ability to produce enough thyroid hormone starts to flag. Thyroid tests may show a slightly higher TSH level, usually still within the reference range or right on the border of the upper end of the range.