Scleroderma Information » Scleroderma » Hypothyroid
Question:
[...] > Is Hashimoto’s seen often with scleroderma? (Hashimoto’s disease is another > of the autoimmune disorders.) > Jack
As I said in my post about Thyorid Diseases and Scleroderma, autoimmune hypothyroidism is also known as Hashimito’s thyroiditis. This disease is characterized by: 1. Presence of antibodies to the thyoroid (that is what makes it "autoimmune", because of the auto-antibodies). 2. Decreased function of the thyoroid: Hypothyroidisim. This is the most common hypothyroidism seen in scleroderma. Dolores Vazquez-Abad, MD http://www2.uchc/edu/~vazquez ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Response:
I have CREST and morphea, and had slightly abnormal hypoactive thyroid symptoms which my doctor was monitoring. He was sure this was something unrelated, and I have never read anything that implies scleroderma impacts the thyroid. FYI, my doctor was hesitant to treat this with drugs because he felt like once I started I would have to be on them for the rest of my life (I’m 41). Fortunately, my symptoms disappeared without treatment. I hope you are as fortunate.
Response:
In article <19970305005600.TAA15…@ladder02.news.aol.com>, din…@aol.com (DinaMN) wrote: > I have CREST and morphea, and had slightly abnormal hypoactive thyroid[...] > my doctor was hesitant to treat this with drugs because he felt like > once I started I would have to be on them for the rest of my life[...]
Hypothyroidism is frequently found in scleroderma and CREST patients. Many times it is associated with antibodies to thyroid proteins. Some times it is not. If the thyroid hormones are only slighly below normal values, it is better to wait and see how the patient responds. Thyroid hormones supplement the sustained decreased levels in patients. If the patient recovers the normal function, these hormone replacements are stopped. They are not given for the rest of your life if you don’t need them. That is why the thyroid levels have to be checked often (every 3-6 months) in patients on replacement therapy, which is adjusted or stopped accordingly. If a patient continues to have even mildly decreased levels, treatment will replace the energy and normal metabolism. Patients feel much better when their hormone levels are restored, and there is no reason to delay treatment if there are persistent low levels of thyroid hormone. The supplement is safe, and it can be stopped any time. It is not like steroids. Dolores Vazquez-Abad, MD http://www2.uchc.edu/~vazquez ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Response:
My dr. say I have a borderline hypothroid. Is this from the scleroderma or is it something that happens to 60+ women with or without scleroderma? Is the thyroid one of the organs attached by scleroderma? Nancy
Response:
In article <857686470.7…@dejanews.com> vazq…@panda.uchc.edu writes: > A considerable percent of our scleroderma patients also have > hypothyroidism.
Is Hashimoto’s seen often with scleroderma? (Hashimoto’s disease is another of the autoimmune disorders.) Jack
Response:
In article <19970304163900.LAA19…@ladder01.news.aol.com>, user115…@aol.com (User115827) wrote: > My dr. say I have a borderline hypothroid. Is this from the scleroderma > or is it something that happens to 60+ women with or without scleroderma? > Is the thyroid one of the organs attached by scleroderma? > Nancy
A considerable percent of our scleroderma patients also have hypothyroidism. It is associated with the presence of antibodies to thyroid proteins. Thus, autoimmune hypothyroidism is frequently associated with scleroderma. The thyroid is not a target organ in scleroderma. It does not become fibrotic (accumulation of a protein called collagen). Dolores vazquez-Abad, MD http://www2.uchc.edu/~vazquez ——————-==== Posted via Deja News ====———————– http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
no comment untill now