The Effects of High Cholesterol Levels on Thyroid Cancers
While there is a significant correlation between high levels of cholesterol and thyroid disease it cannot be said that elevated cholesterol, in any documented way, contributes to the growth of thyroid cancer. Instead, the relationship concerns a damaged thyroid gland causing extreme cholesterol levels.
Significance
The effects of high cholesterol levels on thyroid cancers are non-existent. There are four primary types of this carcinoma, and excessive cholesterol consumption or high blood cholesterol level does not play a role in any of them. The exact cause of thyroid cancer is unknown but some risk factors display a significant pattern. "Previous radiation therapy to the thyroid area (for acne, enlarged thymus gland, tonsils or adenoids) is a significant risk factor, especially if it was administered during infancy or early childhood," according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Malignancies may appear as early as five years or as late as 30 years after radiation."
Misconceptions
High levels of cholesterol do not bring about malignancies in the thyroid. Instead, thyroid disease itself, including cancer, causes dangerous amounts of cholesterol to accumulate. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) says that hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is the most common secondary cause of high cholesterol, after diet, with 90 percent of those suffering from hypothyroidism also experiencing an elevated level of cholesterol. That benchmark is considered to be a total blood cholesterol level of 200 mg/dl or higher. A person with a thyroid disorder typically sees her cholesterol level resting between 30 percent and 50 percent higher than the norm.
Effects
The connection between cholesterol and thyroid disease relates to the thyroid gland's production of hormones regulating metabolism within the body. This affects bodily organs, including the liver, the body's production plant of cholesterol. "If the thyroid gland produces too little hormone, metabolism can slow, having a direct impact on the body's ability to clear cholesterol from the bloodstream," according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "As a result, the risk of cholesterol being deposited in the arteries, and especially around the heart, is increased, thereby increasing the risk for heart disease." This is especially problematic considering that thyroid disorders are prevalent in older women and coronary heart disease is the cause of death in more than 50 percent of females over age 70.
Considerations
An individual faced with any thyroid disorder, including cancer, and experiencing high cholesterol levels as a result should make every effort to minimize the consumption of cholesterol in his diet. Cholesterol-reducing medications, known as statins, can be prescribed to help in this effort.
Types
Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common, comprising 80 percent of all thyroid cancers. It may occur at any age but is most typical in those between 30 and 50. Follicular thyroid cancer generally affects those above 50 years of age. Medullary thyroid cancer is usually a result of inherited family genetics, while anaplastic thyroid cancer occurs rarely but is very aggressive and often fatal, usually impacting those above age 60. It often produces mortality within six months of diagnosis.
Tags: thyroid cancer, cholesterol level, cholesterol thyroid, thyroid disease, thyroid gland, blood cholesterol, blood cholesterol level
