The damaged thyroid: when you are diagnosed too late
The (scary) statistics about hypothyroidism [1]:
- An estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease.
- Women are 5 to 8 times more likely than men to have thyroid problems.
- One in eight will develop a thyroid disorder during her lifetime.
Then, let’s add the following statistics [2]:
- In iodine-sufficient regions, autoimmune thyroid disease is the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism.
The challenge is that that for many hypothyroid patients the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is too late. By the the time the diagnosis is made, too much of the thyroid gland has already been damaged by the immune system, and the patient will have to take thyroid hormone replacement therapy for the rest of their lives.
As the published research found [3], which you can see below, by the time a person has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, more than 90% of the thyroid gland has already been destroyed:
And once your thyroid has been destroyed, it will not recover. The thyroid gland, which produces T4 hormones, will not be able to produce the amount of T4 your body needs anymore. Also, keep in mind that the thyroid gland also plays an important role in converting the inactive T4 to the active T3. So you may struggle with low levels of both T4 AND T3.
So what should you do?
Test for Free T4, Free T3, and thyroid antibodies. Then at least you know where to start to take your health back.
Adele is a hypothyroid and Hashimoto's patient, hypothyroid health coach, and patient advocate.When she is not helping others with creating their best lives, she plays and coaches squash and dabbles in photography.
Latest posts by Adele du Rand (see all)
- Healthy Thyroid, Thriving Team: The Impact of Thyroid Health on Employee Wellness - November 22, 2024
- Thyroid hair: look at the health of your scalp - November 10, 2024
- Iodine and your thyroid – when too much is not good for you - October 23, 2024