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.