Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is very common in people over 60, and the number of people who have it steadily rises as they age. Hypothyroidism has been found in up to one in four older people who live in a nursing home. Symptoms of hypothyroidism, on the other hand, are very vague, and this is especially true for older patients. As with hypothyroidism, the number of symptoms decreases as a person gets older. For example, memory loss or a drop in cognitive ability, which is often linked to getting older, maybe the only signs that older people show. Some of the signs are gaining weight, feeling sleepy, having dry skin, and having trouble going to the bathroom. Hypothyroidism may be a possibility if you have a family history of thyroid disease, have had treatment for hyperthyroidism in the past, or have had a lot of neck surgery and radiotherapy.

How to treat and take care of Hypothyroidism? 

When treating older people, it's important to keep in mind that full thyroid hormone replacement doesn't have to happen quickly. In fact, doing it quickly could put stress on the heart and central nervous system. So, hormone treatment usually starts with a small part of the daily dose to give the CNS time to adjust to the increase in thyroid hormone. So, treatment may start with 1-t4 at a dose of 25–50 micrograms per day, and the dose may be raised in steps every 4–6 weeks until lab tests show that the levels of thyroid hormone (t3t4) and TSH are slowly getting back to normal.