Hashimoto's Disease - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods

Hashimoto's disease is a disease characterized by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland. . A family history of thyroid disorders is common, with the HLADR5 gene most strongly implicated conferring a relative risk of 3 in the UK. The person may experience symptoms of hyperthyroidism at first when the thyroid may actually produce too much thyroid hormones. It is caused by a reaction of the immune system against the thyroid gland. Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. Hashimoto's disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, causes inflammation of your thyroid gland that often leads to underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Lymphocytic thyroiditis may also occur as a self-limited condition which lasts 2-6 months, resolving spontaneously, and leaving most patients with normal thyroid function. Chronic thyroiditis or Hashimoto's disease is a common thyroid gland disorder that can occur at any age, but it is most often seen in middle aged women. It is more prevalent in women than in men (8:1), and its incidence increases with age Blood tests of thyroid function are used to detect Hashimoto's disease. Patients with this form of thyroiditis sometimes exhibit so few symptoms that the disease may go unnoticed for many years, but eventually it may destroy so much thyroid tissue that hypothyroidism develops.

Many people with this disease have no symptoms. Hashimoto's Disease is often referred to as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis, lymphadenoid goiter, struma lymphomatosa, and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is not uncommon. Many people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis have other endocrine disorders, such as diabetes, an underactive adrenal gland, or underactive parathyroid glands, and other autoimmune diseases, such as pernicious anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, or systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). In many cases, Hashimoto's thyroiditis usually results in hypothyroidism, although in its acute phase, it can cause a transient thyrotoxic state. Hashimoto's disease progresses slowly over a number of years and causes chronic thyroid damage, leading to a drop in thyroid hormone levels in your blood. Less commonly, Hashimoto's disease occurs with hypoparathyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and fungal infections of the mouth and nails in a condition called type 1 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome. The thyroid gland typically becomes and the antibodies the body normally produces to protect the body and fight foreign substances such as bacteria, are found to 'attack' their own thyroid tissue. Treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone replacement medication usually is simple and effective. Natural treatment options also exist.

Causes of Hashimoto's disease

The common causes and risk factor's of Hashimoto's disease include the following:

The exact cause of Hashimoto's disease is unknown.

A reaction of the immune system against the thyroid gland.

If someone in your family has had thyroid disease, you may have an increased risk for Hashimoto's disease.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is most common among women, particularly older women, and tends to run in families.

It may rarely be associated with other endocrine disorders caused by the immune system.

A combination of factors including heredity, and age may determine your likelihood of developing the disorder.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is seen more frequently in people taking extra iodine in their diets.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's disease

Some sign and symptoms related to Hashimoto's disease are as follows:

Fatigue.

Enlarged neck or presence of goiter.

Small or atrophic thyroid gland.

Dry skin.

Joint stiffness.

Excessive sleepiness.

Dry, coarse hair.

Facial swelling.

Hair loss.

Heavy and irregular menses.

Hoarse voice.

An elevated blood cholesterol level.

Intolerance to cold.

Most often, people with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis suffer from symptoms of Hypothyroidism (fatigue, lethargy, decreased metabolic rate).

Treatment of Hashimoto's disease

Here is list of the methods for treating Hashimoto's disease:

Iron supplements.

If Hashimoto's disease causes thyroid hormone deficiency, you may need replacement therapy with thyroid hormone.

Antibiotics to fight infection.

Hormones to suppress or replace thyroid function.

Sucralfate, an ulcer medication.

Long-term prognosis is very good. Most people with the disease can be easily treated.

Cholestyramine (Questran), a medication used to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Replacement therapy with thyroid hormone is given if the hormone is deficient or may be given if there is evidence of mild thyroid failure.


Juliet Cohen writes articles for diseases cure and health care information.

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People Who Self-Healed from Diabetes-II Discuss "A Taste of Simply Raw"

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Focus on Trans Fat

There's no doubt--carbohydrates have taken center stage in public discourse about dietary practices. You can't turn on the TV, open a newspaper or walk past the office water cooler these days without hearing a debate about this nutrient du jour. Recently, however, increasing attention is being given to an all but forgotten part of our diet. Move over, carbohydrates: fat is making a comeback in the headlines. More specifically, trans fat.

Of the four types of dietary fat (monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans), the focus recently has been on trans fat. Abundant in margarine, shortening, packaged baked goods and French fries to name a few, trans fat is a widely used ingredient for food manufacturers because it is cheap and contributes to increased shelf life. It is listed as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" and "vegetable shortening" on product ingredient lists.

Hydrogenation is the process of heating an oil and passing hydrogen bubbles through it. The fat's density is increased, and food manufacturers use it frequently because it gives products a richer butter flavor. Saturated butter is much more expensive to use, so manufacturers reduce costs by using partially hydrogenated oils.

Partially hydrogenated oils, however, have a much different effect on the body than even the demonized saturated fats. We all know that we need to limit saturated fat in our diets, but specific amounts, although small, have been deemed acceptable, and even help to facilitate a variety of processes for the body. Trans fat, however, provides no positive effects whatsoever.

Studies have consistently shown that trans fat raises LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol. It contributes to clogging of the arteries and type 2 diabetes. Trans fat has also been linked to an estimated 30,000 or more premature heart disease deaths each year.

In March 2004, the Food and Drug Administration updated their website pages concerning trans fat and regulations concerning labeling laws. Although the FDA first proposed trans fat labeling in 1999, it wasn't until July 2003 that Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the new trans fat ruling. Even then, the guidelines proved to be less than acceptable to health experts who were pushing for immediate regulations: the ruling gave manufacturers until January 1, 2006 to comply.

Some food manufacturers, however, have already started listing the ingredient on their nutritional labels, and the FDA has responded to these changes for consumers with trans fat info and guidance to understanding the new labels. See the FDA website at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html#unhide).

Issues of further contention exist, most notably because the FDA is choosing not to list a % Daily Value (%DV) for trans fat. Although it admits that scientific reports show a link between trans fat and coronary heart disease, the FDA states that none of these studies have provided a specific reference value. This has enraged anti-trans fat advocates, who consider the decision not to list daily values a cop-out due to pressure from the food industry, not to insufficient evidence of harm (check out http://bantransfats.com/ for a comprehensive and excellent review of the latest trans fat advocacy issues).

Unlike the FDA's specific daily requirements for both saturated fat and cholesterol already in place, some experts feel this lack of specificity for trans fat allotment in our diet is akin to allowing the consumer to believe that any amount is acceptable. Thus, the possibility of a veritable free-for-all on trans fat consumption is feared.

The race is now on for food manufacturers to produce foods free of trans fat In April 2004, Kraft Foods announced the introduction of three new brands of the popular Oreo cookie containing zero grams of trans fat. Other manufactures will surely follow suit and it is likely that we will be seeing an explosion of trans fat-free (although not necessarily nutritious) products, particularly snack foods.

Since we have a while to wait until all manufacturers are required to change their product labels, consumers need to know how to recognize trans fat in products to reduce intake. Read every ingredient label before a product is purchased. If the list contains the words "partially hydrogenated," you know it contains trans fat. Shortening and margarine almost always contain trans fat. This knowledge is particularly important with regard to processed foods, since they usually contain a large amount of ingredients, most with long, odd looking and hard to pronounce names. For further guidance on how to avoid trans fat in products, check out Dr. Gabe Mirkin's website (http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/N185.html), an excellent resource on nutrition and trans fat info.

Conflicting as it may be, we'll always be inundated with media attention on the latest focus on nutrition. But we still need to be aware of the facts concerning our health. Coverage on fats was all the rage in the 80's, for the last decade all we've heard about is carbs. What's next? Well, there's always protein.

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