What is Hashimoto’s disease?
Hashimoto’s disease is a chronic autoimmune disease that can cause you to have lower-than-normal thyroid levels, which can affect many of your body’s processes.
Below, we share some of the most common symptoms of the condition, from fatigue to weight gain, and explain more about what Hashimoto’s disease is and what causes it.
Understanding Hashimoto’s disease
Hashimoto’s is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland and can cause hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid).
The thyroid is a small gland located at the front of your neck under the skin. Your thyroid gland’s main job is to control the speed of your metabolism, the process in which your body transforms the food you consume into energy.
When you have Hashimoto’s disease, the damage caused to your thyroid gland can prevent it from producing enough thyroid hormones for your body. This can cause your metabolism to slow down and can result in symptoms like weight gain, fatigue and constipation.
Hashimoto’s disease is a fairly common condition and is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in countries where iodine-enriched foods are readily available.
What are the symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease?
Hashimoto’s is a condition that progresses slowly, so many people with Hashimoto’s disease may not experience any symptoms to begin with.
However, as the condition progresses, an enlargement of the thyroid gland, a condition known as goitre, is a common first symptom. Although this condition doesn’t usually hurt, it can create a feeling of fullness in your lower neck and make the front of your neck look swollen.
If left untreated, Hashimoto’s disease can lead to hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels) and cause the following symptoms:
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Constipation
- Dry skin
- Feeling cold
- Slower-than-normal heart rate (bradycardia)
- Joint stiffness and muscle pain
- Slow hair growth
- Dry, brittle hair
- Low mood or depression
- Puffy eyes and face
- Memory problems or difficulty concentrating
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Decreased sex drive
- Female or male infertility
What causes Hashimoto’s disease?
Hashimoto’s disease is a chronic autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when your body’s immune system attacks your body’s cells and organs. In Hashimoto’s disease, the body attacks itself in the following ways:
- The immune system makes antibodies that attack your thyroid tissue for unknown reasons.
- This causes inflammation and damages your thyroid gland.
- Over time, this damage can prevent your thyroid gland from being able to produce enough thyroid hormone. This can lead to hypothyroidism.
Risk factors for Hashimoto’s disease
Factors that may increase your risk of Hashimmoto’s disease can include:
- Family history – if you have a biological family member with Hashimoto’s disease or other thyroid diseases, you are more likely to develop the condition.
- Sex – females are 10 times more likely to get Hashimoto’s than males, which may be due to the influence of female sex hormones.
- Age – your risk of developing Hashimoto’s increases as you get older.
- Stress – there is thought to be a link between high stress levels and Hashimoto’s disease.
- Pregnancy – In some people, pregnancy can trigger Hashimoto’s disease.
- Other autoimmune conditions – you are more likely to get Hashimoto’s if you have another autoimmune condition such as: o Addison’s disease o Coeliac disease o Lupus o Pernicious anaemia o Rheumatoid arthritis o Sjögren’s syndrome o Type 1 diabetes
Treatment for Hashimoto’s disease
The treatment for Hashimoto’s disease depends on whether you have developed hypothyroidism. If you have Hashimoto’s disease and have high antibody levels but don’t have clinical hypothyroidism, you may only need to monitor your thyroid levels rather than starting treatment.
If you have hypothyroidism because of Hashimoto’s disease, the most common treatment is a medication called levothyroxine. This is a synthetic form of the hormone T4, and it helps to restore normal thyroid levels in your body.
Once you have been started on levothyroxine medication, you are usually on it for the rest of your life. However, your dose may need to be adjusted over time, so you will need regular thyroid hormone tests to monitor your thyroid levels.
What to eat if you have Hashimoto’s disease?
Following a specific diet is unnecessary if you have Hashimoto’s disease, but eating well and following a healthy lifestyle can help keep your immune system healthy. However, some foods, medicines and supplements can affect your body’s ability to absorb levothyroxine.
This can include:
- Iron and calcium supplements
- Sucralafte (stomach ulcer medication)
- Cholestyramine and aluminium hydroxide (found in some antacid medications)
To prevent these substances from affecting your body’s absorption of levothyroxine, you can take these four hours before or after taking levothyroxine. If you have any concerns about medications you are taking, you should talk to your doctor or book a private GP consultation.
Are there any side effects of thyroid treatment?
You will normally only experience side effects from levothyroxine if your dose is too high. This causes you to have too much thyroid hormone, which is called thyrotoxicosis. Symptoms of thyrotoxicosis can include:
- Rapid heartbeat (usually higher than 100 beats per minute)
- Irregular heartbeat
- Unexplained weight gain
- Feeling shaky
- Feeling nervous, anxious or more irritable
- Increased sensitivity to heat
- Changes to your menstrual cycle (in women)
To prevent thyrotoxicosis it is important you have regular thyroid blood tests to monitor your levels.
Private thyroid testing
It is possible to test your thyroid levels using a simple blood test. A trained health assessment specialist will collect a small sample of blood from a vein in your arm. This sample is then sent to a laboratory for analysis.
At Bluecrest Wellness, our private thyroid blood tests allow you to discover more about your thyroid levels or monitor your levels if you’re undergoing thyroid treatment. All our tests can be booked at a time and location that’s convenient for you.
