Different Thyroid Symptoms for Different Ages
Thyroid deficiency or hypothyroidism is a disorder that occurs when the thyroid gland is unable to produce an adequate amount of thyroid hormones. In some cases, it is caused by a lack of iodine and it slows down the metabolism process in the body. This condition is likely to lead to fatigue and several other thyroid symptoms.
It is crucial to identify the occurrence of hypothyroidism as early as possible so that the chance of the disease to be treated successfully can be high. Infants suffering from hypothyroidism may experience frequent choking, puffy face, swollen tongue and the skin and eye whites that are becoming yellow.
Those infants may also have issues in physical and mental development, such as cretinism. And when the hypothyroidism develops further, they might deal with the problems of poor muscle tone, loss of appetite, hoarse crying and respiratory distress. Many of the symptoms mentioned above are similar to those occurring to adults with hypothyroidism. Yet, there are several symptoms that are specific to children. Situations involving spasticity, constipation and extreme sleepiness are often found in younger children.
Meanwhile, teenagers usually experience delayed puberty, slow development of permanent teeth, poor mental development, and retarded growth. Be informed that due to the small amount of thyroid hormones passed through the placenta during the pregnancy, the symptoms of hypothyroidism may not appear until after infancy and during childhood.