Thyroid clinic

The thyroid is a small gland at the front of the neck that regulates metabolism. When it works too slowly, tiredness, feeling cold, constipation, dry skin and weight gain often appear. When it works too fast, the main features are a pounding heart, trembling hands, sweating, restlessness and weight loss despite an unchanged appetite.

At the thyroid clinic we examine and treat patients with changes in the thyroid and with disorders of how it works. We treat nodules and an enlarged thyroid, autoimmune diseases, the most common of which are Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease, and we monitor people who are already on hormone replacement treatment and need their dose adjusted.

The examination begins with a conversation about your symptoms, your weight and heart rate, how you feel and thyroid disease in your family. An examination of the neck follows, in which the doctor feels the gland and lymph nodes.

The thyroid specialist uses an ultrasound scan to examine the size, structure and position of the thyroid and any nodules. The scan is described in more detail on the Ultrasound page, in the Neck ultrasound section.

To assess how the thyroid works, a blood test is done to measure TSH, and if needed also thyroid hormones and antibodies. If you already have results, bring them with you.

When a nodule needs further characterisation after the ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration cytology may be considered. The doctor explains what comes next and where the test is done when discussing the results.

Reasons for an examination are persistent unexplained tiredness, unexpected changes in weight, a feeling of a lump or pressure in the neck, a palpable lump in the neck, a fast or irregular heartbeat and hair loss. Women often book when planning a pregnancy or after giving birth, when thyroid function can change.

If you have already received a result with abnormal TSH values or an ultrasound description of a nodule, bring both. With thyroid diseases, comparison with older results is often more important than a single measurement.

The thyroid clinic works on a self-pay basis, so you do not need a referral and book yourself.

Bring an identity document, your previous laboratory and ultrasound results and a list of medicines and dietary supplements. Dietary supplements in particular matter for how the thyroid works. Preparations with biotin, iodine or selenium can affect laboratory measurements or how the gland works, so list them even when they seem unimportant to you.

After the examination the specialist writes a report with an opinion on any further tests or treatment needed. Further monitoring often takes place with your personal doctor, and any follow-up examinations needed with the thyroid specialist are agreed depending on the results.