Thyroid: cold hands, cold feet and the bigger picture

Why this matters

Learn how symptoms, lab results, and health history fit into a thyroid discussion.

How the pieces connect

Thyroid symptoms, free T4 and other labs, medicines, and health history belong together in the conversation. One symptom is not a diagnosis.

Symptoms need a thyroid context

Low thyroid hormone can be associated with fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, dry skin and thinning hair. Those symptoms can also have other explanations. Dr. Purser’s focus on symptoms is useful when paired with a history, examination and appropriate testing. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune cause of hypothyroidism; thyroid problems can also follow surgery, radiation or certain medicines. Knowing the cause helps make sense of monitoring rather than treating every abnormal result as the same condition.

A question for your next conversation

What is the cause of the thyroid problem, and how do the symptoms and test results fit together?

LET YOUR CURIOSITY LEAD

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