Does anyone know how I would have become Hypo?

[Tanya40]

I've been told it's hereditary but nobody has or had this illness. I also read that it's possible it could have been bought on by a head injury? Any comments will be gratefully excepted. X

[shaws Administrator]

I have read that glandular fever, whiplash, injury to throat plus autoimmune disease can cause hypothyroidism. This is a link:-

mayoclinic.com/health/hypot...

[Hidden]

I think there's been alot of discussion on this over the years,very interesting reading.I also don't know of any family with my condition but I found out that I still had the rubella virus in my thyroid gland. I had it when I was 7 ,developed low thyroid when I was 12! Found out it was hanging around when I was in my 20s, had it cleared homeopathically but I feel the damage had been done as I now have autoantibodies and it's not an easy ride.So yes I think there must be a link if it's not hereditary. Here's hoping your treatment is straight forward.

[lola1956]

i am not an expert but i read stress can contribute, i had an awful lot of stress in the years presceeding my illness, i too have no one in the family with thyroid problems, also i had lost a lot of weight, on purpose, but i also read that can disturb the balance

[helvon]

stress , whiplash, stopping smoking all can contribute to debilitating the thyroid as well as disease

[Marz]

Auto-immune thyroiditis is the most common form of thyroid illness worldwide and can be caused by a poorly performing gut - IBS/Crohns/Diverticulitis/Colitis/Coeliac/Allergies/GERD - there's a lot of it about..... Anti-bodies not routinely tested in the UK so most people do not realise they have Hashimotos.

[tegz in reply to Marz]

Is it possible to have low antibodies and still have pending Hashis?

Put simply can this explain Euthyroid hypometabolism? I have DVD and sensitive to wheat/gluten and suspect multiple low level stressors are contributing to UAT.

PS I also had a head injury 7 years ago which triggered many symptoms but GPs won't take any notice.

[Marz in reply to tegz]

It would seem that the ranges for TPO anti-bodies can vary from lab to lab - I am of the impression that once you have a low reading of anti-bodies - they need to be reviewed and kept an eye on !

[Tanya40 in reply to Marz]

Hi Marz, I've been Hypo for many years now but never really looked into it properly until now. You say that most people don't realise they have Hashimotos, what is this? Is it something you get along side being Hypo? I know that members on this site aren't doctors so,I'm not asking to be diagnosed lol just a lead to possible follow as my own doctors seem to be a bit hush hush?? Thanks x

[tegz in reply to Tanya40]

From the literature 90% of HypoT cases are related to some level of Hashis. That's the autoimmune illness that slowly reduces thyroid output and sometimes causes even hyper rushes -so it can be difficult to track. Couple this with the mess over using TSH to treat thyroid symptoms in the body organs, where the uptake requirement varies that could explain your medics attitude.It used to be quite treatable using traditional medical diagnosis and care, lacking today.

It really is a decades long debacle for the medical profession waiting to come out..

NB: It's not that most diocs don't care- they're just hooked on the 'Numbers game'- safety in numbers obeying the RCP code and Lab numbers [TSH, mainly] covering their backsides.

[Marz in reply to Tanya40]

If you have TPO anti-bodies over a certain level - then it can be assumed you have auto-immune thyroiditis - or Hashimotos. In the UK the anti-bodies are often not tested if the TSH is in range. If you have them it is good to think of yourself as having an AID rather than a thyroid problem. In the early stages you can be both Hyper and Hypo. There is lots of information out there and on this forum....check out my recent posts where I have directed people to books in order to learn more. Also the main website of Thyroid UK.....lots of good advice there.

[tegz in reply to Marz]

Yes, I recollect seeing info, here and there, that AB's aren't always high- even in Hashis,which did seem counterintuitive. It's probably the cycling in and out of symptoms that causes confusion- esp. if missed by blood test timings.

[lola1956]

hi helvon, did you say stopping smoking ? i stopped smoking and my health has gone down hill rapidly since, always presumed it was a coincidence , where does it say that this can contribute to getting this awful disease?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to lola1956]

There is speculation that smoking helps to mask the disease. Therefore giving up allows it to become "visible". Doesn't say much about the original cause, though.

Rod

[panic in reply to lola1956]

I stopped smoking in April and Ive now been diagnosed hyper!!

[Glynisrose]

I think it is futile to worry about how you got it when it is so difficult to get proper treatment for it!! Its hardly as if you can reverse it!!

[Danifox6 in reply to Glynisrose]

That is possible one of the most unhelpful comments I have seen and also untrue.

[panic in reply to Danifox6]

Snap!!! x

[Danifox6]

Tanya40 it can be hereditary but your parents, or one of, could have been a carrier. I recently had the genetic test and my result came back as both parents having the faulty gene, yet neither of them had/have thyroid issues.

[Hidden]

It is one of those things that there may be so many possible reasons, (eg. for me: in my family it's the norm, and I believe I was irradiated with radioactive iodine in the womb [first trimester] due to the Windscale nuclear accident in late1957, also I have taken Opiate painkillers for decades too which ARE causing other pituitary/endocrine/adrenal issues, so take you pick!) BUT... as the treatments are largely the same regardless, don't worry too much and get on with managing it!

[Hidden]

An interesting article posted a few days ago

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Glynisrose]

There are so many possible causes that it would be impossible to find out what caused your version. Hypo is NOT reversable.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Glynisrose]

Oh yes it can be!

Worldwide the most common cause of hypothyroidism is inadequate iodine intake. That is eminently reversible and, so long as there has not been too much damage through the period of being iodine deficient, many people recover very well.

There are many other circumstances in which hypothyroidism can reverse. Even in autoimmune hypothyroidism it seems not uncommon to have alternating periods of hypothyroidism and euthyroidism or even hyperthyroidism in the earlier stages. Only when the thyroid eventually becomes unable to produce enough does the hypothyroidism become effectively irreversible.

People who have had total (or partial) thyroidectomies such that they need to take levothyroxine for a long time sometimes recover thyroid function, and even become severely hyperthyroid again.

Rod

[marram in reply to helvella]

Quite agree, Rod. As you must all know by now, I had most of my thyroid removed due to Graves' and was hypo to begin with. But by the end of 10 years I was actually more hyper than I was the first time! Had to have the rest removed! Of course now there isn't a single thyroid cell left (They made sure) so no chance of reversal now.

[PinkNinja in reply to helvella]

Also, hypothyroidism due to post-partum thyroiditis or painful sub-acute thyroiditis is often reversible. With the latter it can be as few as 10% that are left with permanent hypothyroidism. I think there are other forms of thyroiditis that have a pretty good recovery rate.

There are also various forms of 'secondary' hypothyroidism that are not permanent but are induced by other factors such as low cortisol, high oestrogen etc. This is not hypothyroidism per se but can result in low thyroid hormone levels, and presence of hypothyroid symptoms, due to suppression of TSH. This is often temporary. I don't know enough about this to know numbers though.

[Tanya40]

WOW..... Thank you all for the very helpful replies. I'm so glad that I found this site it is fantastic

[Glynisrose]

Once the thyroid gland is dead there is no reviving it!! It may stutter for many years but once its gone its gone. Unlike the liver it doesn't regenerate.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Glynisrose]

Thyroid regeneration can and does sometimes occur after total thyroidectomy. It may not occur when the thyroid is totally destroyed by lymphocytic attack. I do not know if that has ever been recorded.

Thyroid regeneration has been known since at least 1884.

[Hidden]

As well as the those things mentioned above hypothyroidism can be caused by mould biotoxin illness, uncontrolled stealth viruses (e.g. EBV, cytomegalovirus and HHV6), Lyme disease and its attendant co-infections and who knows what else!!! The full story is not yet known, but it is certainly reversible if these causes can be brought under control. Jane x