Kidney and liver issues with high thyroid antibodies?

[jjf255]

I am wondering if any Hoshimoto sufferers with high antibodies also have poor kidney and liver numbers in their bloodwork? This is the case with my 71 year old husband. He takes Armour 135mg daily and his most recent T4 and T3 were the best they have EVER been with T3 in upper 75% range and T4 under 1, but his thyroid antibodies rose again...364 <35.0 IU/mL. His last antibody blood test 6 months ago was 207...same range as current ones. He has chronic kidney disease stage3B and an ALT reading of 51 range 10-40IU/L. He also has unusually low cholesterol # in both HDL and LDL but has had this as long as I have known him...50 years. He really looks the picture of health. He did try LDN about 3 years ago, but only saw slight improvement in his thyroid antibody#s. I'm at a loss.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Even if his antibodies were extremely low he would still have Hashimoto’s

Which antibodies are high TPO or TG antibodies

Has he ever tried strictly gluten free diet or dairy free diet

[jjf255 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes, I understand antibodies are present no matter at what level with Hoshimoto's. He is only tested for TPO antibodies. He is both gluten and dairy free. It still doesn't help.

[buddy99]

I have Hashimoto's and my TgAb are higher than normal (and, of course, fluctuating). My kidney function is not as it should be (with the GFR too low). Whether this is a result of Hashimoto's I do not know and I don't want to blame everything on the autoimmunity (although I tend to ). Unfortunately there is still very little known about thyroid disorders and what ALL the consequences are for the body. The research has been picking up, though, over the last 5 years; I assume, because of the rising prevalence of thyroid issues in the population. My thinking is that whenever something is out of balance other things fall out of place and can cause a domino effect. And since we are all individuals we are differently affected. As far as lipids go I'm the exact opposite of your husband; HDL and LDL are high (triglycerides normal). It has been stressed lately that chronic inflammation can cause all sorts of problems (and to me Hashimoto's means chronic inflammation), so kidney problems could be influenced by this. On the other hand they could be a completely separate issue (if anything in the body is really ever "separate"). I wish I could give you a very clear answer on how to improve your husband's kidney function but all I can do is share my thoughts and wish him all the very best. There is published research on pubmed about diet having halted or even reversed kidney failure. I would have looked for the link but unfortunately the paper does not elaborate on what exactly the diet looked like. It just vaguely says "plant based diet" which is really to fuzzy to build anything on. You say that your husband "really looks the picture of health". Does he also feel that way? If so, maybe just enjoy that and put the worry aside for now (easier said than done). Medicine is far from having found a solution for everything. I'm working on just not worrying too much and enjoying life as long as possible. I feel that's all I can do. My heart goes out to you and I hope all goes very well for you and your husband.

[jjf255 in reply to buddy99]

Thank you for your comment. I am the one that really needs to stop worrying, since he rarely worries about anything...haha. He knows I'll do all the worrying for both of us. I have tried to keep him on a chronic kidney disease diet for the last year and actually his kidney function...GFR...rose by 5 points, so it's going in the right direction. The huge jump in his thyroid antibodies and the decline in both cholesterol numbers is what has me stumped. The chronic kidney disease diet mimics the diet suggested to lower thyroid antibodies. The doctor scared us (me!) at this last check up, saying low cholesterol of HDL is thought to be a contributing factor in Alzheimers and certain cancers...OH GREAT!! When ya try to fix one, the other goes down the drain. As far as your question about how he feels...he has a crazy amount of energy. He still runs his own business, but probably should exercise more. His only issue at this time is, he doesn't get good sleep. Usually around 5 hours. His doctor did say that can have to do with both kidney and liver disease. I'm not sure about that though, 'cause that has been his sleep pattern for the 47 years we've been married.

[buddy99]

Ha, that actually sound all very reasonable. I assume the diet is the "anti inflammatory" diet which is usually heavy on the plants and low on sugar and salt. Good for you to get his GFR up by 5 points!!!!!!! That is awesome! I had no luck improving my GFR and that is blamed on the high cholesterol. You can really go nuts trying to figure out what's what and sometimes I have found that even doctors contradict each other and make it even more confusing by one saying the exact opposite of what the other is saying. We can just do the best we can and yes, there is a high possibility that "When ya try to fix one, the other goes down the drain". I used to be constantly researching things. And not being completely ignorant is certainly a good thing, but I have come to the conclusion that "it is what it is" and just try to enjoy life to the max before I stick my spoon in the wall. I have to admit, though, that I'm very envious of your husband's crazy energy. By the way doctors don't always draw the right conclusions. I have had a deformed spine (nothing very serious) since childhood and a doctor concluded it was a sign of osteoporosis. I'm pretty sure I did not have osteoporosis at age 10. So I think you are right to have your doubts if your husband's sleep pattern has been long standing. Maybe he is just one of those people who gets away with less sleep than the average person (and still has crazy energy ).

[buddy99]

Oh, I forgot.........congratulations on having been married for over 47 years. You have a lot going for you. Don't worry. Be happy.

[jjf255 in reply to buddy99]

Thank You!