Thyroid Disease and Diabetes

Diabetes and thyroid disease are both endocrine, or hormone, problems. When thyroid disease occurs in someone with diabetes, it can make blood glucose control more difficult.

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your lower neck just beneath your skin. It regulates your body’s metabolism, the processes of using and storing energy, by releasing a substance called thyroid hormone. If it produces too much thyroid hormone, your metabolism quickens (hyperthyroidism), too little and your …