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Hashimoto’s disease is a multi-faceted condition. We present you 5 surprising facts about it – do you know all of them?
Hashimoto’s disease is in your genes
There are many factors that determine whether you have Hashimoto’s disease. These include, among others, diet and the resulting nutrient deficiencies. But also a lifestyle that includes sleep, stress, or physical activity, as well as genetic factors. This means that if your close relatives, such as siblings, parents or grandparents, have had Hashimoto’s disease or other thyroid conditions (such as hypothyroidism), you may also be affected.
Of course it doesn’t have to be this way because disease genes must be activated by specific factors, so-called triggers. Even stress can be such a trigger. In people with a genetic predisposition, it may cause an imbalance in the immune system. Hormones produced by stress can alter the immune system so much that it loses its ability to defend itself and lose balance.
- Do you suspect Hashimoto’s? Check what thyroid tests to do
Hashimoto’s disease is not just about the thyroid gland
Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease, i.e. a disease related to our immune system. And although the antibodies produced focus on attacking the thyroid gland, which weakens this organ, we must not forget about their influence on other areas of our body, triggering the immune response. These include our intestines, and more precisely the condition of their mucosa and the diversity of the intestinal microflora. In patients with Hashimoto’s disease, it often comes to the so-called intestinal dysbiosis, i.e. disturbances in the composition and amount of the intestinal microflora, which may stimulate the immune system to overreact.
When it comes to the intestines, it is also worth mentioning food intolerances, which strongly affect their health. Intolerances are characteristic of Hashimoto’s disease or hypothyroidism and most often relate to lactose and gluten intolerance. Among the adverse reactions to gluten, next to celiac disease and gluten allergy is gluten intolerance.
In the case of Hashimoto’s, it is very important to take care of a proper diet, which can significantly reduce the symptoms of the disease. Check out how personalized diet plans work with Hashimoto’s and see how it will affect your health and well-being.
What else can Hashimoto’s disease be about? It turns out that in people with a positive titer of anti-TPO antibodies, characteristic for Hashimoto’s disease, the concentration of glucose, insulin and the HOMA-IR index calculated on their basis are significantly higher than in healthy people. Autoimmune diseases affect not only the thyroid gland, they can even affect the joints. Therefore, in addition to Hashimoto’s disease, a concomitant disease is often diagnosed – rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
TSH is not secreted by the thyroid gland
TSH (actually thyroglobulin) is a hormone whose concentration is tested in the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease. However, it is not produced by the thyroid gland, but by the pituitary gland in the brain. TSH is a hormone designed to stimulate the thyroid gland to secrete other hormones such as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Under the influence of TSH, our thyroid produces T4 in an amount of about 60%, and T3 in an amount of about 20%. When the thyroid gland produces too little hormones, the pituitary gland increases the secretion of TSH to stimulate it to work. This happens in hypothyroidism, often a complication of Hashimoto’s disease.
Find out more: How do thyroid hormones work?
You can have Hashimoto’s disease despite having a normal triple thyroid
Often, when Hashimoto’s disease is suspected, a so-called concentration test is performed thyroid triplet, i.e. TSH and free thyroid hormones – fT4 and fT3. It is a state of the so-called euthyroidism, i.e. the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. However, while the results may be normal, this does not rule out a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease.
In the diagnosis of this disease, in addition to the thyroid triplet, the level of characteristic antibodies is tested: anti-TPO and anti-TG. Their elevated titer often indicates Hashimoto’s disease. An ultrasound of the thyroid gland is also performed to confirm the diagnosis. This is important, so the endocrinologist should order the entire package of these tests.
- Thyroid doctor – endocrinologist or thyroidologist?
Levothyroxine is not a treatment for Hashimoto’s disease
Levothyroxine, known as the drugs Euthyrox or Letrox, is a substance often used in Hashimoto’s disease. However, this is not the main reason for prescribing it. For the treatment of Hashimoto’s disease, the only drugs used are anti-inflammatory drugs. Levothyroxine is used in the treatment of hypothyroidism, which is often a complication of Hashimoto’s disease.
To show the scale of the use of this drug, it is worth looking at the United States, where in 2011 levothyroxine was the second most frequently prescribed drug (104,7 million prescriptions), and in 2013 over 115 million prescriptions for preparations containing LT4 were realized. Since levothyroxine is not primarily intended to treat Hashimoto’s, how is the therapy to be administered? Due to the increasing amount of reliable scientific research on Hashimoto’s disease, more and more information about the non-pharmacological support of Hashimoto’s disease appears in the scientific literature.
Recent reports also emphasize the role of lifestyle modification in general in order to achieve remission of the disease. This change should take into account the appropriate adjustment of the diet, the selection of targeted supplementation, physical activity, regeneration and the right amount of sleep. The latest scientific publications indicate that a properly planned strategy for the treatment of Hashimoto’s disease can improve the effects of hormonal drugs, delay the destruction of the thyroid gland, and most importantly, significantly improve the quality of life of patients by reducing or completely eliminating adverse disease symptoms.
Want to control your Hashimoto’s symptoms? Check out personalized diet plans to help you treat and minimize symptoms.
Find out more: Facts and myths, or how to live with Hashimoto’s disease? [WE EXPLAIN]
We hope this article makes you more familiar with Hashimoto’s. If you want to find out what exactly is happening in your body in connection with the disease, and with our support to improve your well-being in the form of remission, we will soon be able to help you with this in our “Step by step to remission” program.
In an interesting, unconventional and interactive way, we will teach you everything about the thyroid gland. What’s more, we will guide you step by step through the most important issues related to a healthy lifestyle and habits, which, implemented together, will lead to a significant improvement in well-being, reduction of inflammation and the titre of antibodies characteristic of Hashimoto’s disease. We guarantee that this will translate into a significant improvement in your quality of life and health.
Do not wait, just change your habits with us in the interest of the health of your thyroid gland.
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