Hashimoto’s disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis, affects 14 million people in the United States alone. It is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck below your Adam’s apple, causing inflammation. Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of the metabolism and other bodily functions. The resulting inflammation, if not treated early, can eventually lead to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). This is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. It primarily affects middle-aged women but also can occur in men and women of any age, as well as children. Our doctor here at Angel Longevity Medical Center, Dr. Anju Mathur, offers hashimotos disease treatment.
Traditionally, doctors test for TSH to determine if a patient has thyroid issues. However, TSH only tells us if communication between the pituitary and thyroid gland is intact. It does not tell us anything about the thyroid cellular activity which reflects the actual thyroid status of a person.
Thyroid hormone is needed by virtually every cell in the body. The thyroid gland produces 80% T4 and 20% T3. T4 is converted to T3 in peripheral tissues, especially the liver. TSH is not a good indicator of thyroid status, especially in Hashimoto’s disease, because as cells are destroyed and subsequently release T4, TSH could remain normal.
Since Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder, antibodies against thyroid proteins (thyroid peroxidases and thyroglobulin) may be elevated, but not always. If your antibodies are elevated, you have the diagnosis. But, if antibodies are negative, it does not rule out Hashimoto’s disease. This is a complex disorder and should be evaluated thoroughly using all diagnostic modalities to obtain a complete clinical picture.