I've always wondered what it was that caused my hypothyroidism - I was 15 when I was diagnosed, and, unlike many hypothyroid patients, thyroid conditions do not run in my family.
A couple of years before my diagnosis, I spent a whole summer very ill with some kind of glandular-fever-esque virus - terrible vomiting and nausea, but once I'd been sick, I would sleep for hours and then feel well again. Fatigue was a prominent symptom of that virus, and I suffered from what appeared to be post-viral fatigue, with the occasional bout of nausea, for around a year afterwards.
It was only after my neck began to swell with a goitre that I was taken to the doctors and diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar to this before their diagnosis, and if so, is there some kind of link between viral illnesses and thyroid issues? I've always been curious and would be interested to find some answers!
Yes.
I believe there has already been a link between auto-immune hypothyroidism and the Epstein–Barr virus (glandular fever) discovered. I read about it over 2 years ago, and have no idea where I read it, but there is deffinately a link.
I had glandular fever, cocksackie B and hep C when I was about 18 and never been right since. but whether I got that because I was already auto immune or whether it caused it, I cant say, it was another 28 years before I was diagnosed with thyroid problems despite having obvious symptoms and high MCV simply because I was underweight and they never thought to check.
Unfortunately there is no way of checking which came first from 30 years ago.