Has A Medical Professional Diagnosed You With Hashimoto 's Disease?

Hashimoto’s Disease is a chronic Lymphocytic thyroiditis also known as autoimmune thyroiditis. It is due to chronic inflammation; the disease is a failure of the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s disease is the most common inflammatory disorder of the thyroid and the leading cause of having hypothyroidism. The name of the disease came from a Japanese surgeon named Hashimoto Hakaru. Hakaru first described the chronic disease as Struma Lymphomatosa in a pathology report in the year 1912. Hashimoto’s Disease is a genetic trait and found to be more common in women then in men; and commonly found in women between the ages of thirty to fifty years of age. Hashimoto’s Disease can be found in children too; in the first-degree relatives that have the disease is found to have an increased incident.

Scientifically, Hashimoto’s Disease is, “a condition in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck. The thyroid is a part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body’s activities. The resulting inflammation from Hashimoto’s often leads to an under active thyroid” (Mayo Clinic.) Unfortunately, my thyroid didn’t work properly, and my body attacked it because of this.

Hashimoto’s disease also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that causes hypothyroidism. An autoimmune disease is a disease that stems from an irregular response from the immune system to attack the patient’s own cells specifically those in the thyroid gland. In Hashimoto’s disease the antibodies actually attack and destroy cells of the thyroid gland. This destruction leads to a drop in the production of the triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). When the body detects the decreased production of T3 and T4 it begins to try to correct the imbalance and creates an increased production of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) from the hypothalamus which then stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release the thyroid

Hypothyroidism is a lack of activity in the Thyroid (the Endocrine gland), which is located in the neck. Because it is a part of the Endocrine gland, it plays a major role in the hormonal system; which may cause complications with the pituitary (located in the brain), the ovaries or the testes.

The thyroid may be very small and seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it plays a very important role in the function of the body. The thyroid gland takes iodine (which is found in many foods) and it converts it into thyroid hormones. These hormones are thyroxine (t4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body which can absorb iodine. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are two conditions that stem from the thyroid malfunctioning. This paper will go into the about the two conditions, the similarities, and the differences.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks and destroys cells of the thyroid gland and is the most common thyroid disorder in the United States for those over 6 years old. The main risk factors are having another autoimmune disorder or a relative with the disorder. The peak age of onset for women is between 30 and 50 years old, but for men is about 10-15 years late. Women are 10-15 times more likely than men to suffer from Hashimoto’s and it has no prevention and no cure. Fortunately, diagnosis is a simple blood test and clinical evaluation and treatment requires only an inexpensive synthetic thyroxine (T4) thyroid hormone.

The subject of this interview is my own mother, who has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune disorder resulting in hypothyroidism.1 According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include fatigue, increased cold sensitivity, constipation, pale/dry skin, a puffy face, a hoarse voice, weight gain, muscle weakness/aches/tenderness/stiffness, joint pain and stiffness, swelling in the knees, hands, and/or feet, excessive menorrhagia, and depression; a goiter is sometimes seen with this disease as well. It is currently unknown what actually causes this autoimmune disorder, but risk factors include gender, age, heredity, and the presence of other autoimmune diseases.

Hypothyroidism develops when there are inadequate levels of thyroid hormones (TH) within the body. TH’s play a huge role in metabolism and influence many other functions on a day-to-day basis. Hypothyroidism affects a wide-range of individuals and can have detrimental consequences on almost any organ in the human body. Most commonly it is caused by an autoimmune disorder that attacks thyroid tissue. Symptoms range from easily observable such as weight gain to more complicated findings such as depression. The complexity and variation of hypothyroidism manifestation between individuals can causes it to go undiagnosed for extended periods of time. Although it’s incurable it is considered to be a manageable pathology. The use of synthetic hormones

Within the endocrine system, the thyroid gland plays an important role on daily function and activity. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located in front of the neck, right below the larynx. The thyroid gland produces thyroid hormones, primarily T3 (thyroxine) and T4 (triiodothyronine) (NIDDK, 2013). It is very important that the body produces the appropriate amount of thyroid hormones because these hormones affect nearly every organ in the body. More specifically, thyroid hormones regulate an individual’s metabolism such as heart rate, energy use, energy level, and protein synthesis (Family Doctor, 2014).

Imagine living with a disease that you don’t even know you have. This is the case for many people living with hypothyroidism. “According to Wellness FX, more than half of the estimated 27 million Americans who have thyroid disease are not aware of the imbalance.” (Plotnick 2016) Hypothyroidism is a thyroid disorder that occurs when a person’s thyroid gland is underactive.

Hashimoto’s disease is also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis-or- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. This disease was named after the Japanese doctor; Hakaru Hashimoto.5 This is a condition where your immune system creates antibodies that can damage your thyroid gland. The autoimmune disease creates inflammation with an increase in destruction and fibrosis of the thyroid gland. Your thyroid is a gland in your neck that secretes hormones.4 Hashimoto’s disease can sometimes lead to an underactive thyroid which can result in hypothyroidism. This is also the most common cause of hypothyroidism. 2

Hypothyroidism is a disease that affects the Thyroid Gland located in the lower part of the neck, is wrap around trachea . The Thyroid Gland looks like a butterfly, the two wings are the lobes and the middle part is called Isthmus. Hypothyroidism is disease where a person's thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. The thyroid hormones are very important, it affects your growth, development and other cellular process. Having hypothyroidism can bring many problems to your body.

Hashimoto 's thyroiditis is the frequent cause for hypothyroidism, which known as myxedema. It is caused by auto-antibodies to Thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase, these two proteins are required for the production of hormone.

The thyroid gland is responsible for creating the hormones which are located in front of the neck below the voice box. Condition in which thyroid gland is not able to produce sufficient thyroid hormones named thyroxin is called Hypothyroidism. Without thyroid hormones many functions of the body become slow.

The thyroid gland is very important in proper functioning of the human body. The hormones it releases are vital in regulating growth and metabolic reaction. The thyroid gland is relatively small (about 20g) and is located at the base of the neck, connected to the windpipe and voicebox. Its structure may be described as ‘butterfly-shaped’ as it is composed of two connected lobes. See image: