Men and Thyroid Disorders

Even though thyroid conditions are associated with women, men can have them too. The symptoms are the same for both sexes, however, there are some “unique physical and emotional obstacles men can experience when diagnosed” (Rosenthal 139). M. Sara Rosenthal has also stated that men often feel embarrassed about having thyroid conditions since they deal with hormones and hormones are associated with women. Due to this embarrassment, men often have a delayed diagnosis (Rosenthal 142).

According to “Men’s Thyroid Problems,” when men suffer from hypothyroidism, they usually experience “lethargy and depression and a decreased libido. Muscles sometimes look bigger but they are weaker” (AllThyroid.org). If they suffer from hyperthyroidism, it “can lead to muscle wasting and weakness, especially in thighs and upper arms. It can also upset the balance between the principal male sex hormone (testosterone) and the female sex hormone (estradiol) in the body. Sperm production may be impaired. There may be breast tenderness or enlargement. Libido is reduced and difficulty with erections is common” (AllThyroid.org). In both cases, if the thyroid gland is the culprit, the problems can clear up when treated with hormone treatment (AllThyroid.org).

It has been reported that “fifty percent of the men who develop thyroid nodules have thyroid cancer” (Rosenthal 142). Stress is a major factor in triggering some thyroid diseases such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease. For example, President Bush Sr. and President Kennedy both suffered from Graves’ disease (Rosenthal 48). Since men often feel pressured to be the “breadwinner” of the family, there are pressures to work “long hours away from home and the fear of being unsuccessful can create tremendous stress for men” (Rosenthal 142). Another factor that leads to stress in men is not being able to express feelings in the same way as women (Rosenthal 143).

There are thyroid organizations for men and women to join to gain support in their diseases. The Thyroid Foundation of America, Inc., or Thyroid Foundation of Canada, are just two examples. Unfortunately, many of the men involved in these organizations are mainly there to support their wives, female friends, or other relatives. However, the purposes of these foundations are to get information and comfort in knowing that they are not the only men to suffer from these conditions (Rosenthal 142).

The information for this blog came from the article “Men’s Thyroid Problems,” found at www.AllThyroid.org and from M. Sara Rosenthal’s book, The Thyroid Sourcebook.

Women, Pregnancy, Osteoporosis and Thyroid Disease

When I first discovered I had a thyroid condition, I was visiting my doctor because I was getting my period too frequently. She asked me a lot of questions. She had me go to an endocrinologist and get blood work done. According to M. Sara Rosenthal, “your periods are heavier and longer, while cycles are often shorter. You may also experience amenorrhea, a lack of menstruation” (Rosenthal 120). Once the thyroid problem is treated, menstrual cycles should go back to normal (Rosenthal 120).

Thyroid conditions play a large part in pregnancy. As stated before, thyroid conditions can occur in the first trimester and after delivery-postpartum thyroiditis. M. Sara Rosenthal also talks about the importance of being tested for thyroid conditions prior to getting pregnant. She talks about a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in August of 1999. The study “looked at the test scores of sixty-two children born to hypothyroid women; these children performed considerably poorer than children born to mothers with normal thyroid function” (Rosenthal 124). The study did not look for other relations to the lower scores, but it found that the children scored lower in attention, language comprehension, and visual motor performance (Rosenthal 124).

The article found on eHealthMD.com states the following reasons getting tested for a thyroid condition before trying to get pregnant. Hypothyroidism can “cause infertility in women because it can prevent the production of eggs. A pregnant woman with hypothyroidism is at higher risk for miscarriage. Women with untreated hypothyroidism near the time of delivery are in danger of developing high blood pressure and premature delivery. Finally, babies born to women with untreated hypothyroidism may not achieve their full intellectual potential” (eHealthMD.com).

The last thing I want to discuss is osteoporosis. Despite popular belief, the link between thyroid disease and osteoporosis has nothing to do with calcitonin, which the thyroid produces. Thyroid hormone is used by our body from head to toe. Too much thyroid hormone in a system makes you vulnerable to bone loss. This is because the hormone will “speed up” or “slow down” bone cells. When you suffer from hyperthyroidism, the osteoclasts (the cells that remove old bone so new bone can be replaced) are over-stimulated. This causes the bone to be removed faster then it can be replaced. Once you go on medication, the risk of developing osteoporosis is gone (Rosenthal 135).

If you have any questions on this topic, or any other topics, please feel free to contact me. There is so much information on women and pregnancy and I can refer you to many books on the subject.

I got my information for this blog from M. Sara Rosenthal’s book The Thyroid Sourcebook and from an article entitled, “Hypothyroidism and Pregnancy” found on www.eHealthMD.com.

The Last Conditions Associated with Hashimoto's and Graves’ Disease

Myasthenia Gravis, Diabetes Type 1, Infertility, and Bipolar Disorder are the last four conditions that need to be defined. Let me start by talking about Myasthenia Gravis. This is a “rare autoimmune disorder of the muscles that affects only about thirty people per million, but it is ten times more common in Graves’ disease patients” (Rosenthal 67). Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis include muscle weakness, double vision and difficulty swallowing, which are some of the symptoms of Graves’ disease and thyroid eye disease (Rosenthal 67).

If a person has Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease, his or her family (his or her children and grandchildren) is more at risk to develop Diabetes Type 1. Type 1, “insulin-dependent,” Diabetes begins in “children or young adults and needs to be treated with insulin” (Rosenthal 65). Infertility (which will be discussed more in the next blog) is “common in women whose thyroid hormones levels are low” (eHealthMD). After the hypothyroidism has been treated, it usually is easier to conceive. There are two things to keep in mind when taking thyroid hormones. The first is “because the thyroid hormone crosses the placenta in small amounts, the thyroid hormone taken by the expectant mother may have important effects on the developing fetus” (eHealthMD). The second thing to keep in mind is, “because the dose of thyroid hormone may need to be increased after a woman has conceived, it is valuable to get baseline (pre-pregnancy) thyroid tests (including TSH) and to periodically recheck during the pregnancy” (eHealthMD). After delivery, the thyroid hormone should return to pre-pregnancy levels (eHealthMD).

Bipolar Disorder is the last condition associated with Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease that I am going to go over. It is a “psychiatric disease where people experience extreme mood swings from elated mania to down-in-the-dumps blues” (Rosenthal 67). Bipolar disorder is caused by an “imbalance in the brain chemistry and is controlled with lithium” (Rosenthal 67). One of the negative effects of using lithium is that it causes hypothyroidism. M. Sara Rosenthal states that if you come from a family that has thyroid conditions, then you should get regular testing done, especially between the ages of twenty and fifty.

The information from this blog is from M. Sara Rosenthal’s book, The Thyroid Sourcebook and from an online article “What Other Health Problems May be Associated with Hypothyroidism?” found on www.ehealthmd.com.

Other Conditions Linked to Hashimoto's and Graves' Disease

Addison’s Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Lupus and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are other conditions linked to Hashimoto’s and Graves’ Disease. Addison’s Disease occurs when “your adrenal glands fail to make cortisone and steroid hormone-the adrenal products your body needs to function properly” (Rosenthal 65). Please note that Addison’s Disease does not occur frequently in thyroid patients. However, it does occur commonly with pernicious anemia, which, as we stated in the previous blog, is more common in thyroid patients (Rosenthal 66).

The second condition we are going to talk about is the Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This is a term that also encompasses Crohn’s disease and colitis. It is where “the lower intestine becomes inflamed, causing abdominal cramping, pain, fever, and mucusy, bloody diarrhea” (Rosenthal 66). This disease can be controlled with medicine and occurs more frequently in thyroid patients. Lupus imitates other conditions, and is the third condition I am going to go over tonight. “This autoimmune condition affects many body tissues, causing arthritic symptoms, skin rashes, and kidney, lung, and heart problems” (Rosenthal 66). Lupus is rare among thyroid patients; however, if a person has lupus, he or she will often suffer from a thyroid condition (Rosenthal 66).

The last condition we are going to discuss tonight is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This is more common among thyroid patients then the general public. It occurs when the nerves in the wrist become compressed, causing all feeling in the hand to be blocked. Symptoms of this include “numbness, tingling, or burning pain in middle and index fingers and thumb” (Rosenthal 67). Sometimes, this numbness can extend to your elbow and other fingers.

I have yet to experience any of these other conditions. My grandmother, on the other hand, is currently suffering from a goiter. As soon as she got it, the doctors took her off of the thyroid medicine. Therefore, before self-diagnosing or self-treating, be sure to see a doctor. He or she can diagnose you and make sure you are on, or not on, the right medications.

The information for this blog was found in M. Sara Rosenthal’s book, The Thyroid Sourcebook.

How Anemia and Arthritis are Connected to Hashimoto's and Graves' Disease

People, who suffer from either Hashimoto’s disease or Graves’ disease, are more likely to develop other conditions such as Anemia, Arthritis, Addison’s Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Lupus, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis and Diabetes Type 1. Other conditions that are linked to Hashimoto’s disease include Goiters, Heart Disease, High Cholesterol, Bipolar Disorder, and Infertility. Please refer to the last entry to learn how goiters, heart disease and high blood pressure result from Hashimoto’s disease. In the next few blog entries, we will discuss symptoms and causes of the other conditions. While reading, it is important to remember, just because a person has Hashimoto’s or Graves’ disease does not mean that he or she is going to develop the other conditions.

The first linked condition I am going to discuss is Anemia. Anemia develops when there is a low red blood cell count. Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. A common effect of this condition is being tired when exerting little energy. People who suffer from hypothyroidism often have a slight case of this because of “the body’s tendency to slow down its functions” (Rosenthal 63). This usually clears up when the hypothyroidism is treated (Rosenthal 64).

A common type of anemia, pernicious anemia, is common among older people who suffer from hypothyroidism. This is an “autoimmune form of anemia characterized by vitamin B12 deficiency” (eHealthMD.com). Pernicious anemia is caused by the same gene that Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease are caused by. Therefore, if a person has Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease in his or her past, he or she should be tested for pernicious anemia (eHealthMD.com).

Some symptoms of pernicious anemia include, “numbness and tingling of the hands and feet, loss of balance, and weakness in the legs” (Rosenthal 64). Studies have suggested that 5 percent of the people diagnosed with Graves’ disease and 10 percent of the people diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease may develop pernicious anemia. Keep in mind that this condition usually occurs in people over the age of 60.

Arthritis is another condition that people diagnosed with Graves’ or Hashimoto’s disease may encounter. It is defined as “painful tendonitis and bursitis” in the joints. This is “reported in about 7 percent of Graves’ and Hashimoto’s disease patients, while only occurring in about 1.7 percent of the general population” (Rosenthal 65). However, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is only slightly more common in thyroid patients over the general population. RA can cause a stiffness caused by inflammation of many joints in the body. Rosenthal states that the symptoms of RA can sometimes improve when the thyroid condition is corrected (Rosenthal 65).

In the next few blogs, I will be discussing Addison’s Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Lupus, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Myasthenia Gravis, Diabetes Type 1, Bipolar Disorder, and Infertility. It may take me quite a few blogs to discuss all of these conditions in detail, so please bear with me. Thank you!

The information from this blog and for the next few blog entries comes from The Thyroid Sourcebook by M. Sara Rosenthal. I also found information from the article, What Other Health Problems May Be Associated With Hypothyroidism? found on the website www.eHealthMD.com.

What is Hashimoto's Disease and What Can Happen if it Goes Untreated?

As stated in my blog posted on March 4, 2007, Hashimoto’s disease is “caused by abnormal blood antibodies and white blood cells attacking and damaging thyroid cells” (Rosenthal 40). It is an “autoimmune disorder, in which your immune system inappropriately attacks your thyroid gland, causing damage to your thyroid cells and upsetting the balance of chemical reactions in your body” (CNN.com). The thyroid “is part of the endocrine system, which is made up of several glands and tissues that produce hormones. These chemical messengers coordinate many of your body's activities, from digestion to metabolism to reproduction” (CNN.com). This disease is also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis because of the self-attacking lymphocytes. It is the most common disease in the U.S. (CNN.com).

In 1912, a Japanese physician, Hakaru Hashimoto, described the condition. It is a disease that is mainly found in women over the age of forty. According to M. Sara Rosenthal, “one in ten women are likely to develop this disease in her lifetime” (61). It is stated that unless you are looking for a thyroid disease, it may go unnoticed for years. Thus, by the time something is detected, the thyroid cells are “damaged to the point that the thyroid gland functions inadequately” (Rosenthal 61).

At times, hypothyroidism can lead to thyroid eye disease. This is where the “antibodies produced in Hashimoto’s disease most likely aggravated the proteins in the eye muscle” (Rosenthal 61). Another rarity that can occur is experiencing hyperthyroidism along with hypothyroidism. This happens because there are “two forces of antibodies at work: those that attack and destroy the thyroid cells and those that stimulate the gland to overproduce thyroxine” (Rosenthal 62). This condition is called Hasitoxicosis (Rosenthal 62).

When left untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to a number of problems such as goiters, heart problems, mental health issues, myxedema, and birth defects. A goiter is when the gland becomes enlarged due to a stimulation to release more hormones. It may affect appearance and interfere with breathing and swallowing. An enlarged heart, heart failure, and the chances of getting heart disease increase with Hashimoto’s disease. The primary reason for this are the “high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — which can occur in people with an under active thyroid” (CNN.com). Three mental health issues that can occur include depression, slowed mental functioning, and a decrease in sexual desires. “A myxedema coma, triggered by sedatives, infection or other stress on your body,” can occur when hypothyroidism goes untreated (CNN.com). Birth defects such as cleft palate, intellectual and developmental problems, and heart, kidney, and brain problems can also occur in newborns when the mother is not treated for Hashimoto’s disease. However, if these conditions are found within the first few months, they can be treated and chances of a normal development are high (CNN.com).

The effects of Hashimoto’s disease are serious when it goes untreated. If you think you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned in the previous blogs, talk to your doctor. Ask for a TSH, T3 and T4 tests.

The information in this blog is taken from the book, The Thyroid Sourcebook, by M. Sara Rosenthal and also from CNN.com, or the more direct link: http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00567.html.

Tests and Treatments

After figuring out which symptoms I had, I wanted to figure out how I got it. I asked Dr. S. what she thought. She said that if someone in my family had the disease, which my grandmother does, then I was more susceptible to getting it. My grandmother has been dealing with it for some time and is also on medication to help regulate the gland.

According to David Currie, author of The Thyroid Page, the ratio of females to males getting Hypothyroidism is 10:1 respectively. He states that females are more suitable to getting thyroid diseases (Currie 1).

Hashimoto’s disease is “caused by abnormal blood antibodies and white blood cells attacking and damaging thyroid cells” (Rosenthal 40). This can happen in a number of ways. First, it can be caused if a person has hyperthyroidism, Grave’s disease, or has part of the gland removed, and has it treated. Babies can also be born with no thyroid. This is called congenital hypothyroidism. When this happens, the baby is immediately put on thyroid supplements and then it typically develops normally. Mothers can also develop postpartum hypothyroidism. This is when the “thyroid gland becomes inflamed after delivery” (Rosenthal 41). This is often temporary. Lastly, if the “pituitary gland is affected by illness, hypothyroidism can set in” (Rosenthal 41). The pituitary glad regulates the thyroid hormone production, so the thyroid glad is very sensitive to it (Rosenthal 41).

I am currently taking .025mg of Synthroid every morning. I am supposed to take it once daily an hour before I eat, or four hours after. I rarely follow it though because I normally do not wake up early enough to have time to wait an hour in the mornings before eating and heading off to class. Also, as stated in the previous blog, twice a year I have to go for blood work, where they test my TSH levels and T4 levels. I also have to get yearly sonograms so they can measure my gland to see if it is growing or shrinking.

Some of the tests M. Sara Rosenthal talks about are blood work. She states that it is important and sometimes difficult to get your doctor to order the proper blood tests. Rosenthal also states that treatments are easy. Most hypothyroid patients get put on a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement for life. The “normal dosages range between 100 and 150 micrograms” (Rosenthal 42). It usually takes some time to figure out the proper dosage amount. Many blood tests are required to see how the TSH and T4 levels change in your body. Also, these dosages may have to change throughout your life (Rosenthal 42).

This information is from the book The Thyroid Sourcebook by M. Sara Rosenthal, and from The Thyroid Page by David Currie, web address http://faculty.etsu.edu/currie/thyroid.htm.