Even one of the world's most famous and beloved athletes is not immune to the challenges of living with a thyroid condition. It seems soccer player (that's football for everyone outside the U.S.) Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima -- known around the world simply as "Ronaldo -- is retiring at age 34 due to health challenges. Ronaldo, who is a two-time World Cup winner during his successful 17-year career, has been nicknamed "El Fenomeno" ("the Phenomenon"). He reported that four years ago he discovered he was suffering from hypothyroidism. Since that time, has suffered a knee injury, and a number of other injuries, as well as a public battle with his weight that had fans yelling "El Gordo" (Fat One) at him during games.
In a press conference announcing his retirement, Ronaldo said of his thyroid condition, "To control it, I was told I would have to take some hormones that are not permitted in football because of antidoping....The head wants to go on, but the body can't take it anymore. I have to accept my defeats and I've lost to my body."
What is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is an underactivity of the thyroid gland -- the small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck that delivers oxygen and energy to cells, and helps maintain the body's metabolism. When the thyroid becomes unable to produce sufficient hormone, metabolism slows, and a number of hypothyroidism symptoms can result, including weight gain, fatigue, fluid retention, depression, hair loss, and concentration problems, among others.
Hypothyroidism is usually treated with thyroid hormone replacement medication -- prescription drugs such as Synthroid, Eltroxin, Levoxyl, Nature-Throid, Amrour Thyroid, and others -- that provide the missing hormone that the gland itself is unable to provide.
It is unclear whether Ronaldo has been receiving medical treatment for his hypothyroidism over the last four years, or why treating a demonstrable and measurable medical condition like hypothyroidism with medication would be considered "doping" by soccer officials. (This is a topic that I've explored further in this editorial.
More on Ronaldo's Retirement
Other Celebrity Thyroid Patients
Photo: Getty Images Sport/ Paul Gilham
I hope he can get all this straightened out and that it doesn’t take a long time to sort through it. He deserves a chance to have his life back.