Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Case Study

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 Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid. The thyroid is a small gland at the base of the neck that produces hormones and that help control most of the bodies activities. Inflammation to the thyroid, from Hashimoto’s, often leads to hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s disease is the number one cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It mainly affects middle aged women but Hashimoto’s can affect men, women of any age, and even children (“Hashimoto’s Disease-National Library of Medicine-PubMed Health,” 2014).

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis has a higher prevalence in women, frequency increases with age, and it is hereditary, commonly occurring in people and their family members with other autoimmune diseases, specifically Graves’ disease (Garber et al., 2012). It is caused by autoimmune-mediated destruction of the thyroid gland, and is characterized by gradual thyroid failure, goiter development, or both (Davies, 2012). The following presentation is a case study for Hashimoto’s

Labor Day weekend, of my eighth-grade year, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease in which your thyroid stops produces hormones that your body needs to complete normal everyday functions. For most people, the worst side effects of this disease are uncontrollable weight gain, fatigue, confusion, dry skin, and dry hair. Although I haven’t had any issues with my weight fatigue has been a huge issue for me. I am a competitive soccer player, and have always had a dream to play

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also called Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. It was named for the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912 The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland in the front of the neck. The thyroid makes hormones called T3 and T4. These hormones regulate metabolism. The thyroid is controlled by hormones of the pituitary gland, which is also called the “master gland.” It is a pea-sized gland located in the base of the brain which, among others, makes thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. TSH stimulates the thyroid to make thyroid hormone. With Hashimoto’s disease, the thyroid cells are damaged resulting in the inability to make enough thyroid

Hashimoto thyroiditis is a common disease caused by hypothyroidism. The immune system cells attack the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and eventually destruction of the gland. This reduces the thyroids ability to make hormones. These hormones are known as thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) (Better health channel 2015).

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is considered an autoimmune disorder of the thyroid, first discovered in 1912, by a Japanese doctor, Hakaru Hashimoto. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis disease is currently considered a genetically predisposed disorder caused by both environmental and endogenous conditions. Genetically predisposed Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, occurs more often in Caucasians over other ethnicities. Environmental factors that produce the autoimmune disorder are infections, disproportionate iodine intake, drugs, as well as chemical and radiation exposure, according to Syrenicz, Anhelli (2013) This paper will discuss the importance of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis disease, symptoms, Metabolic and Physiological effects, treatment options, and side effects associated with treatments.

The history of hypothyroidism dates way back to the 1800s; seeing the symptoms in patients, even before the disease was able to be diagnosed. Later realizing that many of the cases of cretinism, later called hypothyroidism, were largely associated with the lack in function of the thyroid. Today, also realizing that there is not only internal factors that influence hypothyroidism but also external factors that can contribute. Hypothyroidism can present itself in many different ways from no symptoms at all to organ failure, in a severe enough case. Discovering and treating hypothyroidism with medication or alternative, if the patient chooses, can be very simple after confirming diagnosis with lab results. An optimistic prognosis is usually given to patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s normal defense mechanisms attack the thyroid gland. This causes inflammation in the thyroid, which at first causes uncontrolled

Hashimoto’s Disease is an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s disease causes inflammation to the gland causing chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, resulting in hypothyroidism (Mayo clinic, 2014). This is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the US and the symptoms are manifested by fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, weight gain, pale , dry skin, hoarse voice, pain and stiffness in the joints and muscles, menorrhagia, and depression (Mayo clinic, 2014).

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a common disease; it is also the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Some common symptoms are tiredness, weight gain, dry skin, cold intolerance, muscle weakness, and hoarseness. Hypothyroidism is treated with levothyroxine, but this medication does not help combat a major problem that patients have to deal with. Fatigue to some is not a big deal. People drink coffee, take caffeine, some take vitamin B12; but then there are patients that cannot shake the tiredness, the unwillingness to even get out of the bed, or even sleep disorders. This group of people had done research previously on patients with tiredness associated with ulcerative colitis. After this research they switched focus to other types of autoimmune

The patient’s diagnosis is primary overt hypothyroidism. The patient presents with certain features such as weight gain, weakness, excessively dry flaking skin, dry hair, sluggish movements, constipation, bradycardia, diminished deep tendon reflexes, and bilateral edematous hands, which is classical signs and symptoms for primary hypothyroidism. The patient laboratory test reveals she has an elevation in serum thyroid stimulating hormone level along with low serum free thyroxin and triiodthyronine levels, which indicates it is a dysfunction or abnormality in the thyroid gland as opposed to the pituitary gland or hypothalamus (Gaitonde; Lohano; Porth, 2015, p. 780; Ross, 2014).

Thyroid hormone deficiency in the body is risky to the malfunction of the vital organs. Alterations like lowering and slowing of the biological processes in the body are assumed by the illness. These variations may replicate those that come about with age. The symptoms associated with hypothyroidism may be difficult to describe especially in the old persons. Hypothyroidism can show different manifestations and signs, depending on the health condition, age and sex of the patient. Thus, for it to be treated appropriately, the nursing practitioner has to have the correct diagnosis (Garber, 2012). Since the disorder is more evident at old age, it is, therefore, vital for thyroid disorder among the aged to be a matter of discussion (Laurberg, 2005). Thus, this thesis aims at discussing the effects of hypothyroidism to a seventy years old male

Hashimoto Thyroiditis also known as Hashimoto’s disease named after Hakarum Hashimoto back in 1912, is an Autoimmune Lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid gland by antithyroid autoantibodies. It is highly likely for a person to develop Hypothyroidism as a result of the autoantibodies attacking the thyroid and keeping the thyroid from producing the amount of hormones our bodies need. As stated in the Ear, Nose and Throat Journal “Approximately 5% of the general population has hypothyroidism, with Hashimoto thyroiditis the most common cause.”(2) The journal also goes on to say how women are affected disproportionately with a ratio of 10:1. While there is not a definite cause of Hashimoto’s it has been researched that majority of people who have the disease have a family member who also suffer from thyroid disease, suggesting that it could be genetic.