The thyroid is an organ that is heavily involved in the regulation of metabolism and is located in your neck. Occasionally there can be problems with this organ and it can lead to various types of diseases or disorders. The results of these typically affect metabolism and they can be caused by a variety of factors both environmental and genetic. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common forms of thyroid diseases and what causes them:

1. Grave’s disease
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack its thyroid. It is actually the most common cause of overactive thyroids. This can lead to several different symptoms that are shared in common with hyperthyroidism including irritability, difficulty sleeping, rapid heartbeat, heat intolerance, and rapid and significant weight loss.

There has been no definitive cause linked to Graves’ disease but there are several factors that seem to be involved. There is evidence suggesting a genetic link as people are far more likely to have the condition if they have a family member who also does. People with other autoimmune disorders are also at a higher risk. It is suspected that environmental triggers may initially cause it such as stress.

2. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
This is another autoimmune disorder which instead of enlarging the thyroid actually causes it to shrink and eventually destroys entirely. Hashimoto’s disease can often lead to underactive thyroids instead of overactive ones. The symptoms include weight gain, feelings of fatigue, pain, and potentially depression.

It is suspected that a combination of both genetic and environmental factors influence the development of this condition. There are several things that increase your risk of having the condition. These include being related to a family member with the condition or also having an autoimmune disease that affects other parts of the body.

3. Overactive thyroid
Hyperthyroidism is the result of excess production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid. These hormones are intricately related to energy metabolism in the body. The majority of symptoms are related to excessive energy production in the body. These include hand tremors, weight loss, rapid heartbeat, and enlargement of the thyroid.

This condition is caused by many things. The most common cause is Graves’ disease which was discussed earlier. Some of the other more common causes include toxic adenoma, excess iodine consumption, and inflammation in the thyroid gland. It is more common in women and it will typically present signs first somewhere between 20 to 50 years of age regardless of gender.

4. Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a problem that occurs whenever the body becomes unable to produce proper levels of thyroid hormones. This leads to a slowdown in the body’s metabolism. The most common symptoms include fatigue, depression, weight gain, and intolerance of cold. It is less common than overactive thyroids however it is more common in women than in men similar to the aforementioned condition. Overall it affects around half of 1% of people in the United States

The most common cause for this particular condition is a lack of adequate levels of iodine in the diet. That is because iodine is essential in the production of thyroid hormones. There are other causes for this disease such as hypothalamus injury, thyroid surgery, or even certain medications. Luckily this one is fairly easy to treat as taking synthetic thyroid elements is more or less capable of bringing the body back into homeostasis.