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| Aging and Thyroid Disease |  The diagnosis of thyroid disease may be delayed or missed because of many symptoms which may mimics thought to accompany normal aging. Symptoms include fatigue, confusion, heat intolerance, sensitivity to cold, lack of appetite, constipation and even dementia with Alzheimer's like symptoms.
Even the explanations of the thyroid tests may be turned aside in the elderly because of the other medical conditions or medications. By the way, the normal ranges may need to be established gently for this age group. Normally thyroid production decreases with age.
Hypothyroidism in the elderly may or may not be treated depending on the individual’s medical condition and the severity of the disease. Doctors are particularly cautious when heart disease is also present. Excess thyroid replacement also may enlarge the rate of bone loss in osteoporosis.
When hypothyroidism is cured, thyroid replacement is usually begun at a much lower dose and increased slowly to a dose that results in normal blood levels to avoid the symptoms of over replacement. Nervousness, sweating, heat intolerance, weight loss, palpitations and chest pain may all be caused by too much replacement hormone.
Graves' Disease or thyroid nodules usually leads to hyperthyroidism in the elderly as in the rest of the population. It is commonly treated with anti-thyroid drugs initially. Once the blood levels are normalized, some form of permanent treatment like radioactive iodide may be considered.
Treatment of thyroid disease in the elderly may be difficult because of the co-existing medical conditions and the lack of demonstrable symptoms. Nevertheless, the occurrence rates are common enough to guarantee screening when signs and symptoms do occur and in the presence of confusion and dementia. Unfortunately, in days past people were institutionalized for dementia due to thyroid disease, which could have been easily treated.
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