Everyday there are so many people that are diagnosed with high cholesterol problems. As much as the common misconception is that it could be due to a bad diet, the fact of the matter is that this could also be due an undiagnosed problem with the thyroid. Many people do not even realize that they should get their thyroid checked if their cholesterol levels are high.
The worst part is that even the reason why so many people develop heart problems is cholesterol. No doubt, lack of exercises, poor diet and other such factors can cause the cholesterol levels to go high, but the case is different from one person to another. Â This is the main reason why, it is recommended that you should get yourself tested regularly.
What happens if you do not get your thyroids checked?
It is recommended to get your thyroid levels checked regularly. By doing so, you can prevent various other health problems. Undertreated or Undiagnosed hypothyroidism is also linked to high cholesterol. What makes things worse is that most of the time; many people do not get the relevant treatment because they have not got their thyroid checked.
If you look at the statistics of the people diagnosed with cholesterol, you will find that most of them did not even know that they should go and get their thyroids checked. Similarly, those who go and get their thyroids checked often do not check their cholesterol levels. Due to this, they develop various other complications and health conditions. What makes this all the scary is that these people do take all the necessary steps to get back to normal, but all their efforts are in vain because they missed this one small thing.
The findings in various surveys and studies
In order to understand if people are actually aware of the connection between their cholesterol levels and high thyroid, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists conducted a survey asking people if they were aware of this factor. Two main things were noticed:
- Despite the fact that there is a connection between the high cholesterol levels and thyroid problems, which has been mentioned in various research data, people did not even know if they were tested for any problems of thyroid.
- Most of participants did not even have a clue about the interconnection between thyroid and cholesterol.
What are the doctors doing about this?
Despite knowing the fact that there could be an interconnection between the two, it was also noticed that many doctors, who are treating patients with high cholesterol, never even suggested a thyroid test. Given the fact that guidelines are in place pertaining to this particular link, it is very alarming to think that the people we trust our lives with can overlook such an important factor. What made things even more surprising is that, despite the fact these patients were doing whatever was suggested to them, they did not see any kind of improvement in their condition. They were just constantly taking the prescribed medications, following their diet, maintaining an active physical routine, but all their efforts were in vain.
Symptoms that you should know of for cholesterol and hypothyroidism
Although now you have understood that one of the reasons why your cholesterol levels may be high, let us take a look at some of the common symptoms that you may experience. It is advisable that the minute notice these symptoms, you should go and get yourself checked for high thyroid and cholesterol levels.
- Your weight does not come down even though you are doing everything you can.
- You feel exhausted and often feel sluggish or run down even if you have a good night’s sleep.
- You are prone to mood swings, anxiety and even depression, which is very prominent because of the way you behave.
- Constipation is one other problem that can be caused due to high hypothyroidism
- Your monthly periods may be too heavy, frequent or irregular
- You may experience itchy, coarse and dry skin or even you hair may start getting too thin, coarse and dry.
- You feel cold very fast during any season.
