Hashimotos Disease More Condition Symptoms
The thyroid gland produces many of the enzymes that control the involuntary bodily functions such as breathing and blood flow. Thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto's disease can disrupt the flow of thyroid hormones and cause a variety of health issues. A doctor uses a blood test and a physical examination to diagnose Hashimoto's disease.
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Identification
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Hashimoto's disease is a condition of the thyroid gland. The condition is also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, but it was named Hashimoto's disease after Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto, who was the first physician to publicly describe the condition in 1912. According to the Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause thyroid disease in the United States. During Hashimoto's disease, the body's immune system begins to attack the thyroid gland which causes the thyroid to produce a deficient amount of the hormones the body needs to grow and survive.
Effects
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Hashimoto's disease takes a long time to develop and in the beginning, it shows very few symptoms. It is possible that even when it begins to show symptoms, the person may ignore those symptoms for a long time. Some of the initial symptoms of Hashimoto's disease are a feeling of fatigue that seems to get worse over time, an increasing sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures and a hoarseness to the voice that seems to get worse. Some people ignore these symptoms and simply regard them as the signs of advancing age, and that is how many cases of Hashimoto's disease get to more progressive levels without treatment.
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Potential
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As Hashimoto's disease advances, the symptoms become more noticeable. The skin may start to become pale and dry which may make it scaly, there may be frequent bouts with constipation, the muscles in the hips and thighs may begin to ache with a slight burning sensation that does not go away but gets progressively worse, the muscles in the lower body may feel weak, there may be long bouts with psychological problems such as depression and the joints in the hands and feet may start to get stiff and painful.
Prevention/Solution
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Once Hashimoto's disease is discovered, a doctor may take one of several different approaches to treatment. Even though Hashimoto's disease progresses slowly and over a number of years, it may reach a point where it simply stops getting worse. If the patient is able to live with the condition, possibly with the assistance of medication designed to relieve symptoms, then a doctor may just monitor the condition without any treatment. In some cases a doctor may use hormone therapy to correct the levels of thyroid hormones being produced. These hormone therapies usually involve synthetic hormones.
Expert Insight
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The Mayo Clinic suggests that Hashimoto's disease can be a possible causes for heart conditions. Cholesterol reports are normally given with a good and a bad cholesterol reading. The ideal report has low numbers for both kinds of cholesterol. The bad cholesterol is referred to as low-density lipoprotein. According to the Mayo Clinic, Hashimoto's disease may promote the increased creation of this bad cholesterol, which can lead to heart problems.
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