To successfully treat and prevent recurrence of chronic thyroiditis we need to understand and — if possible — remove the underlying causes and risk factors. We need to ask: "What else is going on inside the body that might allow chronic thyroiditis to develop?"
Accurate diagnosis of the factors behind chronic thyroiditis consists of three steps:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Sjogren's Syndrome | 90% | Confirm |
Lupus (SLE) | 71% | Possible |
Adrenal Fatigue | 22% | Unlikely |
Gluten Sensitivity | 2% | Ruled out |
Autoimmune Tendency | 0% | Ruled out |
Cigarette Smoke Damage | 0% | Ruled out |
Chronic Thyroiditis (Hashimoto's Disease). Have you ever been diagnosed with this condition?
Possible responses:
→ Never had it / don't know→ Probably/minor episode now resolved → Major episode now resolved → Current minor problem → Current major problem |
People with celiac disease are more likely to develop Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (ATD) than the general public, and the reverse is also true. Consuming gluten triggers an autoimmune process in those with celiac disease, causing the immune system to attack the body itself. In the case of ATD, the target of the attack is thyroid gland, resulting in a deficiency or excess of hormones, which causes unpredictable metabolic changes. The most common type of ATD is hypothyroidism.
In one study, 83 patients with autoimmune thyroid disorder were screened for celiac disease. Three patients with asymptomatic celiac disease were found along with one who had previously been diagnosed, giving an overall frequency of 4.8%. By contrast, only one of 249 age- and sex-matched blood donors was found to have celiac disease.
A study of 132 pairs of twins (264 subjects) showed that smoking can have negative effects on the endocrine system, causing a 3- to 5-fold increase in the risk of all types of thyroid disease. The association was most pronounced in autoimmune disorders (Graves' disease and autoimmune thyroiditis), although there was still a strong association for non-autoimmune thyroid disorders.
Approximately 10% of lupus patients have thyroid antibodies, and autoimmune thyroiditis occasionally coexists with SLE.
Antithyroid antibodies are created when antibodies migrate out of the salivary glands into the thyroid gland. Antithyroid antibodies cause thyroiditis, a common problem in people with Sjögren's.