My 13 year old niece has ben unwell for quite some time and we have been trying to get to the bottom of whats going on with her.
She has had some basic bloods done via her GP here in the UK. Doc just says bloods are in the normal range. Yeh right. We have all heard that one before!
I thought she was hypothyroid and had an iron deficiency and possibly other deficiencies because of her diet.
Her mother ended up having to go to a private doctor and paid a lot of money to get a bunch of bloods done to investigate more.
She feels ill most of the time, issues sleeping, had a bad cough for months, itchy, pulls her hair out (maybe because of the itchiness) dry skin ( rough actually) swollen face (weight gain but sometimes puffy too makes her eyes look small) sometimes bruising on face (cheek) tiredness, not feeling ‘right’ anxiety, can’t stay still, depression (a bit low really).
So we got the bloods back from the private doctor and she does have deficiencies in iron, D3 and omega 3/6 ratio is way out of range. Her FT3 looks good but her FT4 was low in the range. Doc said thyroid was fine which I don't think is correct so would appreciate some feedback here.
Her thyroid levels look fine although you can be hypo with normal hormone levels. Her creatinine is low, this tends to be high in hypothyroidism due to slow clearance. I would treat her vitamin D deficiency and see how she does. Maybe seek out some outdoor activities as this will help with vitamin D and depression. These are initial suggestions, when these are addressed she may need to investigate further.
Thanks for your reply. She will be supplementing with D3, omega 3 and iron I think. I agree getting D3 from the sun would be good. Weather is pretty bad though so she’s gonna need supplements.... So you don’t think low fT4 is an issue? Why would it be so low in the range of thyroid was functioning well?
Both T3 and T4 contribute to thyroid hormone action. Some tissues take in T4 and convert it to T3 which can find its way back into the bloodstream and is reflected in fT3. If the thyroid is playing up it can release more T3 than T4 but in this case TSH would so very low. As I noted you can be hypo with normal hormone levels (for complex reasons), this can only be spotted by a trial of thyroid hormone which is very difficult to get. Better to address any deficiencies before going further down the thyroid route.
The study you referenced looks at patients on levothyroxine not subjects who are not being treated. TSH, fT3, fT4 are all poor markers for clinical thyroid status (except when obviously out). They are more useful when viewed as a whole system but this is never done by doctors.
As well as the nutrient deficiencies, could she be suffering from food intolerance/allergies? The symptoms you describe could certainly indicate that being the case.
At the moment you can’t tell if the vitamin deficiencies are upsetting the thyroid....or if vitamin deficiencies are because of underlying thyroid issues
Certainly heavy periods are hypothyroid symptom
Treating the very low vitamins may reveal thyroid is the cause
Thanks... I will ask about gluten and coeliac. Not sure what if any tests have been done for those. Of if she’s tried cutting out gluten from her diet.
The present review of the literature regarding B12 status among vegetarians shows that the rates of B12 depletion and deficiency are high. It is, therefore, recommended that health professionals alert vegetarians about the risk of developing subnormal B12 status. Vegetarians should also take preventive measures to ensure adequate intake of this vitamin, including the regular intake of B12 supplements to prevent deficiency. Considering the low absorption rate of B12 from supplements, a dose of at least 250 μg should be ingested for the best results.3
Obviously extremely common to be anaemia as vegetarian. Plant based iron is non-heme and much harder to absorb
Her potassium levels are quite high and yet her sodium levels are near the top limit. All this can mean she needs more magnesium in her diet because with a potassium level that high, she should be more efficient in regulating her sodium levels. It seems the potassium is not being utilized efficiently, and magnesium can help improve that.
Her omega fatty acids are quite high, is she taking supplements and eating a lot of fish? If so, it would be best to stop that for a while and let them fall down to a good range.
Her phosphate levels are very low which can be a little worrisome, considering it’s used to repair bones and teeth.
Vitamin D levels are very low, which is also bad because it is also needed to strengthen bones. I had that same issue, it’s a very common one, and now take the BetterYou vitamin D spray.
As for low Transferrin Saturation, I personally have no experience in this department but a lot of people on the forum have been discussing it and mentioning that it is usually due to a gene mutation known as MTHFR (an abbreviation because the actual full word is so long to type and can be difficult to pronounce.)
Low White Cell Count usually means the body is attacking its own immunity system, because White blood cells are used to fight off infections. This can be due to the MTHFR gene mutation or Hashimoto’s/Graves’.
Low creatinine can mean her kidneys are not functioning well. That could also be why her potassium level is high.
I am not an expert or a doctor but just by looking at those results, I wonder if your niece is a pescatarian? Having omega fatty acids be that high usually means someone eats a LOT of fish or seafood. Because even taking omega 369 supplements can’t increase it to that extent so easily and quickly. Does she eat a lot of seafood? Consuming too much can actually cause a major upset in vitamin and mineral levels. I know a lot of people who focus on eating fish and seafoods to stay healthy but that can actually backfire.
Her thyroid results might look fine now but that may not be the case later, by the time it’s gotten so bad that she can barely function.
Personally, if I was your niece and had those blood test results, I’d try going to a private doctor for a second opinion.
*Forgot to add that long and/or heavy periods are usually a precursor sign of a thyroid problem, I had heavy periods as well. I have known many others that also had the same issues.
Thanks for the detailed reply. A number of the blood results point to iron deficiency. And a bunch of other deficiencies which I know about and she will be supplementing her diet to address those issues. She’s a vegetarian actually and because of that she a messed up omega 6 to 3 ratio. Too much omega 6 etc. She need less 6 and more 3 so she will be supplementing with fish oil I think. Hopefully once all the deficiencies are dealt with her periods and other symptoms will improve. If not we will look at thyroid again 😉
I was going to ask if she’s a vegetarian but then noticed the high omega fatty acids so wondered if she is one of the vegetarians that only eat fish. If it turns out she does have hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s, please consider encouraging her to incorporate at least some red meat in her diet because no amount of supplements and vitamin injections can make up for what you get from food. Then again, her vitamin levels might improve just by eating red meat again. I have tried the vegetarian lifestyle for a year and noticed the benefits are short-lived.
She is a vegetarian so does not eat any animals and does not plan on changing her ethical stance on that even though she has these deficiencies. Though I think she might have to take some non veggie omega 3’s to get her levels up.
Omega 3 and 6 should be in balance of course. Massively out, in favour of 6 now-a-days. I take ‘Nothing Fishy’ Omega3 from algae grown in purified Swiss water x
Sorry, omega 6’s. Though, you can get both omega 3 and 6 from fish.
Yes, she might have to. I understand her ethical stance but her health is also important, hopefully she’ll realize that in due time. Then again, if she’s not hypothyroid she might not have to change her diet. If she is okay with consuming dairy then that’s a good source of protein and vitamin D.
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