Hypothyroidism is one of the diseases of aging!

Most people go about their daily lives unaware of their thyroid problems. According to Cheryl Rosenfeld of the American College of Physicians, many overlook thyroid problems because they are simply a normal part of aging. For example, people often overlook symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, dry skin, and hair loss as normal physical and mental changes that come with aging, making it difficult to recognize early symptoms and often leaving them untreated.

As we age, the thyroid gland, like any other organ in the body, experiences functional changes due to the aging process. However, according to Professor Lee Seon-young of the Department of Internal Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, hypothyroidism often occurs not only in people in their 40s and 50s, but also in people in their late 20s and early 30s. Therefore, it's not safe to assume that thyroid function declines even at a young age.

In Korea, thyroid disease is known to affect more than 90% of patients, mostly women. From a medical perspective, the most common cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroiditis, most often Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is accompanied by a goiter. While treatment is possible with thyroid hormone administration or surgery, practitioners of Oriental medicine believe that systematic management focused on strengthening the immune system can help restore thyroid health.

According to Professor Lee Sun-young of Boston University School of Medicine, mentioned earlier, as we approach our 70s, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) naturally increases, while thyroid hormone levels decrease somewhat. This phenomenon is said to be a protective response of the body as we age, to reduce the load on the heart and metabolic functions of the body. Furthermore, this effect suggests that doctors have a greater threshold, or boundary, for treating older adults with high TSH levels. Conversely, low TSH levels as we age can have adverse effects.

In modern society, even relatively young people in their 20s to 40s suffer from thyroid disease.
Dr. Naresh Rao, MD, DO, FAOSM, family medicine physician and sports medicine specialist

However, as mentioned earlier, since 'hypothyroidism' occurs at various ages rather than at a specific age, it is said that young people should not neglect their thyroid health. For example, according to Naresh Rao, a family medicine physician in the United States, a relatively young population in their 20s to 40s can suffer from thyroid nodules. Of course, about 95% of these cases (especially if the nodule is less than 1 cm) are benign.

However, Professor Lao emphasizes that even small benign tumors require periodic monitoring and management. Therefore, doctors recommend regular thyroid examinations to prevent, rather than treat, various thyroid conditions, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, goiter, and thyroid tumors.

<Reference Materials>

[1] HuffPost US

[2] American Thyroid Association

[3] Samsung Seoul Hospital

[4] Seoul Asan Medical Center

[5] Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology

[6] Dong-A Ilbo