Recognizing Hashimoto's disease, a disease that attacks the thyroid gland

Hashimoto's disease may sound familiar to your ears. However, this is not actually a new disease. In fact, a well-known model, Gigi Hadid and other actors Guardian of The Galaxy, Zoe Saldana, is known to have this disease. Actually, what is Hashimoto's disease?

What is Hashimoto's disease?

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid gland, causing inflammation. This disease has many other names, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

The thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck below your Adam's apple. This gland is responsible for producing hormones that control energy use to regulate heart rate.

This disease can affect all ages, especially elderly women. If left untreated, inflammation of the thyroid gland can cause the thyroid gland to become underactive (hypothyroidism).

In fact, untreated hypothyroidism will cause heart failure, psychiatric disorders, and myxedema (complications of hypothyroidism).

Signs and symptoms of Hashimoto's disease

Early in the development of Hashimoto's thyroiditis disease, most people may not feel any symptoms.

However, you may feel a swelling at the front of the throat.

Over the years, this disease will progress and cause chronic thyroid damage. As a result, the level of thyroid hormone in the blood will decrease causing hypothyroidism.

The following are signs and symptoms that may occur due to Hashimoto's disease, including:

Fatigue and lethargy
More sensitive to cold air
Constipation
Swelling of the face
The skin becomes dry and pale
Nails become brittle and hair loss easily
The tongue increases in size
Muscle pain and stiff joints
Muscles become weak
Weight loss for no apparent reason
Depression and decreased memory
Excessive or prolonged bleeding during menstruation (menorrhagia)
Slow heart rate

Causes of Hashimoto's disease

The inflammation of the thyroid gland is caused by antibodies created by the immune system. The immune system mistakes the thyroid for a threat, causing a number of white blood cells to attack.

Until now doctors and medical experts do not know exactly how this condition can occur. However, most believe that this condition is triggered by a combination of defective genes, viruses, and bacteria.

Who is at risk for Hashimoto's disease?

Quoted from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH) website, Hashimoto's thyroiditis is 8 times more common in women aged 40-60 years.

In addition, people with certain conditions are also more at risk of developing this disease, including:

Autoimmune hepatitis (a disease in which the body's immune system attacks the liver)
Celiac disease (indigestion)
Lupus (a chronic disorder that can affect parts of the body)
Pernicious anemia (a condition caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency)
Rheumatoid arthritis (a disorder that affects the joints)
Sjögren's syndrome (a disease that causes dry eyes and mouth)
Type 1 diabetes (insulin disorders in maintaining blood sugar levels)
Vitiligo (a non-pigmented skin condition)
Have had surgery on the area around the thyroid gland or received radiation therapy around the chest

How is Hashimoto's disease diagnosed?

The symptoms of Hashimoto's disease are similar to those of many other diseases.

To get a proper diagnosis, your doctor will ask you to undergo a series of medical tests, such as:

Hormone test. Aims to find out the changes that occur in thyroid hormone production.
Antibody test.Done to detect the production of abnormal antibodies that attack thyroid peroxidase (an enzyme that plays a role in the production of thyroid hormones).

Treatment of Hashimoto's disease

If your doctor has determined that you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the treatment that is usually recommended is artificial hormone therapy.

This therapy is done by giving artificial thyroid hormone, such as levothyroxine. This aims to restore hormone levels while reducing symptoms.

During therapy, your doctor will continue to check your TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) level periodically once a week.

The goal is for doctors to know how much your body requires artificial hormone doses.

During therapy, patients need to maintain their intake of food, supplements, and other drugs. The reason is, certain ingredients can interfere with the absorption of levothyroxine in the body.

Some drugs and supplements that interfere with levothyroxine include:

Iron and calcium supplements
Cholestyramine (Prevalite), a drug used to lower blood cholesterol levels
Aluminum hydroxide and sucralfate, which are found in some medications for stomach acid