Approximately 1-2% of the population in the United States is affected by this, and the real statistic may be much higher as many physicians rarely test for it as part of their thyroid screening process. It also affects women more than men by a ratio of 10:1. Since the thyroid is the Master Gland of the body, symptoms of Hashimoto can vary and effect multiple systems in the body including skin, hair, and nails, GI, cardiovascular, and brain. It can also cause your thyroid to swing from a low (hypothyroid) to a high (hyperthyroid) state depending on how high your antibody levels are and how much stress your body is under. Treatment becomes more complicated, and it is even more important to try and identify and treat the underlying cause. If left unchecked, the autoimmune antibodies can lead to a number of health problems including goiter, heart problems, mental health issues, myxedema, and birth defects, and it can destroy the thyroid gland over time.
Hashimoto thyroiditis is also known as chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, is a disease that develops when your own immune system starts attacking your thyroid gland.
Signs of Hashimoto’s disease include some of the following:
- fatigue and sluggishness
- increased sensitivity to cold
- constipation
- dry skin
- a puffy face
- brittle nails
- hair loss
- enlargement of the tongue
- unexplained weight gain
- muscle aches
- tenderness and stiffness
- joint pain
- muscle weakness
- excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding
- depression
- memory lapses