Links between Dyslexia (short term memory issues) and Hypothyroidism. Italian study with dyslexic children showing 60% had TPO antibodies

[Sleepman]

I am nearly 2 months into finding out I am primary hypothyroid (TSH was 79 with no T4) with raised TPO, but I have must have been suffering for a few years. I thought I was celiac and am now gluten free for over a year which has mostly sorted out my stomach issues.

I am nearing mid fifties and through my children's diagnosis, I realised I am dyslexic when I was about 40. I am good at maths and science just a bit slow at writing well.

Dyslexia is not all about reading and writing, as I understand it, it is about short term memory issues in listening, visual memory loops and sequencing(sentence structure etc). My short term visual is very poor and it makes copying, forms, refereeing football games harder/funnier.

I have to tell family to be please be quiet when reversing car as noise gets in way and it is quite visual.

All these memory issues have got worse with underactive thyroid, so much fatigue etc.. I would say as a child it made me less confident, as I would get things wrong. This would also change as well from day to day, which was always very frustrating. Some days flying, some days struggling.

But now it is worse. For example, in a group of people, if I am at a "bad time/foggy time", I cannot cope/filter out with two people talking at once. My dearest darling wife is very patient with me, I end up taking myself away from the group.

1) Is this the type of brain fog others experience ?

2) are there many more dyslexics in this group ? ( I did find a couple of posts in search but not much)

3) when properly medicated is the brain fog reduced ?

This Italian, paper seems to suggest a strong link autoimmune thyroid issues in children with dyslexia.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl....

Degrandi R, Prodam F, Genoni G, Bellomo G, Bona G, Giordano M, Bellone S, Monzani A. The Prevalence of Thyroid Autoimmunity in Children with Developmental Dyslexia. Biomed Res Int. 2021 Feb 8;2021:7656843. doi: 10.1155/2021/7656843. PMID: 33628813; PMCID: PMC7884110.

Abstract

Methods

We enrolled pediatric subjects with developmental dyslexia and, as a control group, healthy age- and sex-matched subjects without developmental dyslexia. Thyroid function was evaluated in subjects with developmental dyslexia measuring serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and free thyroxine (fT4). Thyroid autoimmunity was evaluated in all subjects measuring antithyroid peroxidase (TPO-Ab) and antithyroglobulin (TG-Ab) antibodies. In subjects with developmental dyslexia, thyroid ultrasonography (US) was also performed.

Results

We enrolled 51 subjects with developmental dyslexia (M : F = 39 : 12, mean age 12.4 ± 9 years) and 34 controls (M : F = 24 : 10, mean age 10.8 ± 4 years). TPO-Ab positivity was significantly higher in subjects with developmental dyslexia compared to controls (60.8% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001), while no significant difference was found in TG-Ab positivity (16% vs. 5.8%). Thyroid US performed in 49 subjects with developmental dyslexia revealed a thyroiditis pattern in 60%.

Conclusions

We found an extremely high prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia. Further studies are needed to confirm our observations, but our findings may change the approach to this disorder and eventually lead to a systematic determination of thyroid autoimmunity in children with developmental dyslexia

[tattybogle]

that's really interesting. ( .... 3a.m response .... going back to bed now )

taggingRegenallotment and hjh88 ... as this may interest them .

[Regenallotment in reply to tattybogle]

thanks for the tag, sorry I didn’t see it… not sure why that didn’t work? Have replied below 💚

[Hedgeree]

Hi Sleepman,

I'm also dyslexic but have never had raised antibodies (yet?) I only got officially diagnosed/identified with dyslexia in my 20's, now in my 50's.

Struggle with reading and remembering have to continually re-read. Cannot multitask! It was a relief when I found out what was causing my many issues. Use a lot of lists as wouldn't remember. Also have to write instructions down verbal no good. Get easily overwhelmed too. I take things very literally and that can cause me many problems...

Also have Irlen's syndrome; print 'moves' when reading and visual perceptual issues, trying to use an escalator is hilarious due to depth perception problem, light sensitive...

Yes there are a few other dyslexic forum users possibly more than we are aware.

Only started taking levo in August 2022 so nowhere near being properly medicated as going low and slow.

Best wishes.

[Sleepman in reply to Hedgeree]

Thanks for your reply. We seem close on our levo journey too. Not sure I am long and slow on levo.

Just been upped to 125 mg for 2 days about 9 weeks in. 3 weeks on 100 mg and 5 or 6 weeks on 50 mg. My bloods were repeated as T4 /vit D failed 3 weeks ago. I am certainly a bit better overall.

Dyslexia has many traits/flavours, doesn't it. I do not have things moving on the page but verbal lists are also no good for me. I do not benefit from coloured films for reading as my daughter does and seems a very common dyslexic issue.

I silently cried for my son he was 8 and being tested. They asked him to say a list of 3 numbers backwards that they had read to him. As he failed to remember the numbers, I think I then also knew it was my issue too.

I learn through listening much quicker than reading but have to scribble frantically to help myself recall it. I too write lists frequently but often forget to read them again ...

I have good days and bad days with dyslexia and thyroid fog issues. I wonder if this is linked? The ups and downs are very frustrating parts of both conditions for me. (and for my too tolerant wife)

[nat10 in reply to Hedgeree]

Just wanted to say you are not alone with using an escalator, my husband cannot understand why I am always 4steps behind him on an escalator.

[Hedgeree in reply to nat10]

Hi nat10,

Good to know I'm not alone! I'm always envious when I see people using an escalator without holding on 🤔 It takes me a few attempts to step onto them without losing my balance.

[pennyannie]

Hello Sleepman:

I am left-handed and dyslexic and taught myself to read in my mid-twenties some 50 years ago.

At school I was top of the class for arithmetic but struggled with everything else and my hair fell out when faced with the 11 plus which of course I failed as I couldn't read the questions.

In secondary modern school I faired a bit better as I wanted to learn and teachers there always presented the subject written on a black board and talked through what was written and we had the exercise book to copy into for future reference if necessary.

To cope I believe I developed an extremely good memory and when GCE exams came along we had those potential test paper questions to talk through in class so I recognized certain words within and had prepared in my memory the answers.

I scraped through all exams except for English language and Literature which I had to resit.

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease in my 50's - a stress and anxiety driven auto immune disease and my research started with Elaine Moore's first book - Graves Disease A Practical Guide where she lists left handed and dyslexic people more prone to Graves Disease,

I believe I've suffered with Graves Hypothyroidism for most of my life but never diagnosed as the basic thyroid blood test doesn't run antibodies.

I was diagnosed Graves in 2003/4 and had RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 and now manage lingering Graves, thyroid eye disease caused by the RAI and primary hypothyroidism.

I now self medicate with full spectrum thyroid hormone replacement and am much improved, and my brain switched on and it seems I need a high level of T3 to function well and my dyslexia and memory issues only come to the fore when I'm tired.

[Sleepman in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you Pennyannie - good to know you are now much better. I agree this forum is a blessing. I was pretty desperate some weeks back and now have a "turkish stash" of T3, just in case if levo alone, does not get me properly sorted.

(12p per tablet - say £40 a year - how can the NHS and BTA get into such a mess)

I am right handed, my two brothers are lefties and my wife and her Dad. My 3 children all write with the "proper hand" 😏 ( actually 10% are lefties overall in world , so my families are more than would be expected)

Maths and logic helped me survive too. I did A levels and Chemistry was with a teacher, I had not had before but was famed for his great explanations ... he had switched the course to 20 work books and no verbal teaching --> I struggled a lot.

I was doing a corporate job in early 40s on Bupa and so went to my doctor to ask about a referral for Dyslexia test. She turned out to be a fellow dyslexic and said "confirming it will not change anything at your age" you still have to work a lot harder on certain things but it does give us certain superpowers! I did not get tested.

Thyroid issues do not seem to give any superpowers just misery and confusion. I am realising autoimmune root causes generally seem not well understood in medicine and we have work arounds for broken chemical generators like thyroid, adrenalin, insulin etc. but not cures for them.

[Bertwills]

I’m dyslexic and dyscalculic ( dyslexia with numbers). I’ve been hypo for many years, undiagnosed for ages, but never have raised antibodies. My sister has Hashi’s but is not dyslexic.

I took my son out of school aged 8 as his dyslexia was not being well handled. Taught him at home for 2 years when he went back into mainstream school. He managed well and he now has a postgrad degree.

I will send him this research and suggests he has a blood test to check for antibodies and thyroid hormone ranges.

Thank you for posting this.

[Sleepman in reply to Bertwills]

Birtwills, so glad your son is doing so well. A Dyslexic teaching a dyslexic is very powerful!Even if your children have no antibodies getting baseline TSH and T4 may be very helpful in later life, just in case.

We read and read to our son and he would read some too. He is now a prolific reader. I struggled to read out loud before doing all this reading with him ...

[Regenallotment]

hi

1)Yes

2)Yes

3) to some extent as long as I’m not too sleepy/ tired/stressed

Both my children are high functioning dyslexic (one slow processor but A grader) too. 🦋💚🦋

[GrowingVeg]

Just seen your thread, I have Hashimoto's and am dislexic!