Diseases Related To Hypothyroidism

Hyporthyroidism is a medical problem that is marked by limited output of thyroid hormones by the thyroid glands. Though iodine deficiency could cause this condition, much of the time it's a result of an underlying ailment. Majority of them are autoimmune diseases, in which the immune system assaults the person’s own areas of the body, and in the matter of hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism is definitely a serious health issue since it includes other systems of the body. Here are some of the diseases which are typically connected with hypothyroidism.

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by hyperthyroidism, the contrary condition of hypothyroidism, wherein the thyroid glands generates excessive thyroid hormones. People who have Graves’ disease have a malfunctioning immune system that creates antibodies that act like thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), causing the thyroid gland to create too much. The treatment of Graves’ disease entails the use of antithyroid drugs, iodine-131 (a radioisotope of iodine), or thyroidectomy, which basically inhibits or completely eliminates the thyroid gland. This in turn will lead to the hypothyroid condition of those who have Graves’ disease.

One more autoimmune disease that is linked to hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. It is one among the frequent cause of hypothyroidism in North America. In this ailment, the immune system directly assaults the thyroid gland, confusing it as a foreign body and leading to its destruction. In this case, antibodies such as leukocytes interrupt thyroid peroxidase, thyroglobulin, and TSH receptors. This will lead  to the inflammation and consequently, the devastation of the thyroid gland thus creating the hypothyroid disorder. It is also theorized that this condition is hereditary.

Another autoimmune disease that is also associated along with hypothyroidism is Addison’s disease. Addison’s disease is an endocrine problem wherein the adrenal glands make inferior levels of cortisol and aldosterone. At times, this disorder develops in conjunction with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This disorder is called Schmidt’s syndrome. In addition to the symptoms of Addison’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, people who have Schmidt’s syndrome can also develop vitiligo, type 2 diabetes, myasthenia gravis, pure red cell aplasia, pernicious anemia, Graves’ disease, alopecia, sarcoidosis, or immunoglobulin A deficiency.