I often see posts referring to heart problems and read that lack of proper thyroid treatment can affect the heart; here's a research paper....
"Evidence Analysis: The outcome of this analysis suggests that patients with untreated overt clinical or subclinical thyroid dysfunction are at increased risk of arrhythmia. Hyperthyroidism increased atrial arrhythmia; however, hypothyroidism increased ventricular arrhythmia."
"Conclusion: The early recognition and effective treatment of thyroid dysfunction in patients with arrhythmia is mandatory because the long-term prognosis of arrhythmia may be improved with the appropriate treatment of thyroid dysfunction".
It's about time they published this fact. Most Endos dismiss treating properly as they think the TSH is the definitive diagnosis and also indicative of possible heart problems, when it is the opposite, i.e. ineffective diagnosis and too low a dose of thyroid hormones.
Sparerib, ECG when I was first investigated for thyroid dysfunction showed a prolonged Q-T interval which felt like missed beats and then a double beat. Thyroid levels were euthyroid with raised TPOab so it may not have been thyroid related but I'm sure the palpitations were. It's possible Venlafaxine was the culprit as I was switched to Sertraline, which I stopped 2 years ago. Subsequent ECGs are apparently fine. I can't read them so take their word for it and suppose I'd have been referred to cardiology if anything was very off. 3 1/2 years later, post thyroidectomy and optimally medicated, I still experience missed beats and palpitations but nowhere near as severe or frequent.
Yes I've had a couple of strange ECG results too - they wouldn't tell me what it was 'tho - 3 at my pre-op - the nurse thought the machine must be faulty! Had another at my local surgery, nurse frowned & kept me waiting to see the GP who just asked if I felt OK? I said yes, as wanted to go home!
Think I was supposed to have a monitor.. oops.... meanwhile another GP gave me betablockers then amitriptyline <shrug> I kept them in the cupboard & dared to google! J
So sorry the late reply in this, I've only just seen it, I think! We don't get a lot of patients with a long QT anyway so it's difficult to say if they have thyroid problems in common. We do get a large number of patients with thyroid problems, more notably hypothyroidism...or perhaps I've just become more aware since being diagnosed myself. Most of the patients we get have a lot of other medical issues in common too.
I've always had lots of heart palps. With the right diet (less fat, more carb) and supplements (minerals, iron, vit c etc) I don't get them more than anyone else. I believe it is also adrenal related, which most people with thyroid issues have adrenal issues, hence vit c and magnesium and LOTS OF SLEEP. I try to get 10 hours. Sounds a lot but I can't tell you how much better it is than 8. Or 6... sleep when its dark, wake early when its light, it puts the body in its natural rhythm. Avoid gadgets, screens. Get outside and get fresh air. And don't believe people who say you need loads of protein - you need amino acids not protein! Amino acids are in everything. Protein weighs heavy on your kidneys and disrupts the adrenals.
It does make me wonder, the western world is a sea of heart dysfunction and we are singularly the most stressed, malnourished, polluted and overfed (on fatty processed foods) nation Iin the world. Few people get sick eating loads of fruit and veg, sleeping and getting fresh air!
Well, I'm a vegan and don't eat anything processed and I have lots and lots of ectopic beats, all the time. So it's not quite as simple as eating fruit and veg.
No, you're right and I didn't explain that very well - what I meant was that if we had natural lifestyles that supported health on all levels, I don't believe we'd have nearly so many problems. People are always expected to find a solution in a bottle and then just get on with their stressful sleep deprived lives. And of course that doesn't work. Prevention in society as a whole would be simple; once you have need for a cure it gets complicated. For some it is as simple as eating fruit and vegetables, say if they are deficient in potassium, a deficiency which can cause heart palps. If you are already vegan then you might be deficient in B1 or other B vits, very important for heart function, or magnesium as most people nowadays are deficient in magnesium. Or iron, anaemia can cause problems like that too. I am not blaming these things on being vegan, I am very nearly vegan and feel great on it. It's just that our food lacks in nutrients because it's so commercial, we are bombarded with toxins everyday and of course no amount of healthy eating will make up for a deficient body if one is still sleeping badly, under stress, and doing the wrong sort of exercise, for example. The effect that even simple anxiety can have on the body is not to be sniffed at. Yet people are told to just take antidepressants and get on with it. Health is both more simple and more complex than people think. Humans have been using herbal preparations, meditation, natural treatments such as acupuncture, and various types of exercise for thousands of years to great effect, to maintain health; yet now these have been replaced largely by drugs with harmful side effects, and other practices which force the body to do what we want and often cause harm to the planet too. Years of complex scientific research and many traditional cultures already knew the answers centuries ago! Anyway sorry for this little rant - I just hope that some day soon the human race will see the light about the link between our downward spiralling health and our disconnection with our natural way of life. It is no wonder we are sick when we cut ourselves off from all that is truly living.
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