Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Hypothyroid myopathy is a muscle disease that happens when the thyroid gland is underactive and does not make enough thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone helps muscles use energy, contract, relax, repair themselves, and clear waste products. When hormone levels are low for a long time, muscle cells work slowly, hold extra water and complex sugars, change…

Pickardt syndrome (also called Pickardt–Fahlbusch syndrome) is a very rare hormone problem where the connection between the brain’s control center (the hypothalamus) and the front part of the pituitary gland is damaged. This connection is a small stalk with tiny portal veins that carry releasing hormones such as TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone) from the hypothalamus down…

Thyroid dyshormonogenesis is a group of rare genetic problems where the thyroid gland is present (often normal or enlarged) but cannot make thyroid hormone properly. The main issue is not in the size or position of the gland, but in the chemical steps used to build the hormones T4 and T3. Because these steps are…

Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome is a rare condition seen mainly in children who have severe, long-standing hypothyroidism (very low thyroid hormone). In this syndrome the child shows signs of early puberty and enlarged ovaries or testes, even though the thyroid gland is underactive.PMC+1 Van Wyk–Grumbach syndrome is a rare complication of long-standing, severe untreated hypothyroidism in…

Euthyroid sick syndrome (also called non-thyroidal illness syndrome or sick euthyroid syndrome) happens when thyroid blood tests look abnormal during a serious illness, but the thyroid gland itself is not damaged. In this condition, the body changes the way it makes, converts, and uses thyroid hormones (T4 and T3) as a stress response to infection,…

Myxedema coma is a very severe, life-threatening form of hypothyroidism, where the thyroid hormone level becomes so low that the body can no longer keep basic functions stable. In this condition, the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs start to slow down and may begin to fail. It is an endocrine emergency and needs…

Myxedema is a medical word for very severe thyroid disease. Doctors use it in two ways. First, it can mean extreme, long-standing hypothyroidism, when the body has had very low thyroid hormone for a long time and many organs start to fail. Second, it can mean a special kind of swelling in the skin and…

Congenital hypothyroidism means that a baby is born with too little thyroid hormone in the body. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that controls growth, brain development, and metabolism. When the thyroid hormone is low at birth and is not treated quickly, it can lead to slow growth and permanent problems in…

Cretinism is an old medical word for a very severe form of congenital hypothyroidism. This means a baby is born with very low thyroid hormone, usually from before birth, and it is not treated early. The low hormone level harms the baby’s brain and body growth, leading to permanent intellectual disability and short stature if…

Iodine deficiency means your body is not getting enough iodine, a tiny but very important mineral that you must get from food or supplements. Your body uses iodine to make thyroid hormones, which control how fast you use energy, how warm you feel, how your heart beats, and how your brain and bones grow.Office of…

Lymphocytic hypophysitis is a rare disease where the body’s immune system wrongly attacks the pituitary gland, a small hormone-controlling gland at the base of the brain. This attack causes many white blood cells called lymphocytes to enter the pituitary and create inflammation and swelling. Over time, the inflamed gland can become scarred and stop working…