If Hashimoto's is left untreated, complications can be life-threatening. Because the hormones produced by the thyroid are so vital to the body's functions, untreated Hashimoto's can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications.
Is Hashimoto's disease dangerous or fatal? If left untreated, hypothyroidism can lead to some serious complications and, in rare cases, death. These include: Heart problems, such as enlarged heart or heart failure.
Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder. The immune system creates antibodies that attack thyroid cells as if they were bacteria, viruses or some other foreign body. The immune system wrongly enlists disease-fighting agents that damage cells and lead to cell death.
With treatment, people with Hashimoto's disease can have a normal life expectancy. It is sometimes comorbid with other autoimmune disorders, which may cause different issues. Untreated Hashimoto's disease can lead to damage to your heart, increasing your risk of heart disease.
Hashimoto's disease is not listed specifically as a disability.
Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a rare complication in which the swelling of the brain can cause profound and debilitating neurological symptoms. The condition only affects around two of every 100,000 people each year and usually between the ages of 41 and 44.
If Hashimoto's is left untreated, complications can be life-threatening. Because the hormones produced by the thyroid are so vital to the body's functions, untreated Hashimoto's can lead to serious and even life-threatening complications.
Primary hypothyroidism is considered to be the end stage of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
It is caused by a reaction of the immune system against the thyroid gland. The disease begins slowly. It may take months or even years for the condition to be detected and for thyroid hormone levels to become lower than normal. Hashimoto disease is most common in people with a family history of thyroid disease.
However, if you have Hashimoto's disease or other types of autoimmune thyroid disorders, you may be sensitive to harmful side effects from iodine. Eating foods that have large amounts of iodine—such as kelp, dulse, or other kinds of seaweed, and certain iodine-rich medicines—may cause hypothyroidism or make it worse.
Hashimoto's disease tends to worsen with age because it is progressive. The disease generally progresses slowly over many years and can cause progressive damage to the thyroid glands. Additionally, it is expected that those with Hashimoto's disease will eventually get hypothyroidism, though this is not always the case.
Symptoms may include an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), tiredness, weight gain, and muscle weakness. You don't need treatment if your thyroid hormone levels are normal. If you have an underactive thyroid, medicine can help.
Hashimoto's symptoms may be mild at first or take years to develop. The first sign of the disease is often an enlarged thyroid, called a goiter. The goiter may cause the front of your neck to look swollen. A large goiter may make swallowing difficult.
Thyroid diseases, including Hashimoto's disease, can affect your mood and mental health, often causing anxiety or depression. It is possible that the more severe your thyroid disease, and the further it progresses, the more extreme the mood changes.
If untreated, it can increase the chance of miscarriage, premature delivery and preeclampsia, which is a dangerous rise in blood pressure during the third trimester. There is also a higher risk of birth defects, intellectual and developmental issues for babies born to women with thyroid disease.
Some children are born with it — this is called congenital hypothyroidism. Others develop it later, usually late in childhood or as teens.
Researchers aren't entirely sure what causes Hashimoto's disease, but they suggest that stress may be an environmental trigger. Studies show that psychological and physiologic stressors affect the immune system, which may contribute to the development of autoimmune conditions.
Untreated Hashimoto's disease can lead to permanent damage to your thyroid gland. To compensate for an underactive thyroid gland, the thyroid gland swells, causing a goiter to form.
Since you can't prevent this disorder, it's that much more important to recognize the symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. If you understand the symptoms and visit your doctor as soon as possible after recognizing them, you'll have the best chance of preventing the disease's progression.
For example, women with Graves disease or Hashimoto thyroiditis are at greater than 10‐fold risk of developing lupus (risk ratio [RR] 11.69 [95% CI 6.23‐20.0; P < 0.001] and RR 14.64 [95% CI 3.02‐47.5; P < 0.001], respectively).
Symptoms of a Hashimoto's Flare-Up
Constipation. Dry skin. Puffy face. Muscle aches.
Hashimoto thyroiditis affects 1 to 2 percent of people in the United States. It occurs more often in women than in men, which may be related to hormonal factors. The condition is the most common cause of thyroid underactivity (hypothyroidism) in the United States.
Hashimoto's disease is a common cause of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). It is an autoimmune condition. Immune system cells attack the thyroid gland, causing inflammation and, in most cases, eventual destruction of the gland. This reduces the thyroid's ability to make hormones.
Most people with Hashimoto's disease experience chronic fatigue and exhaustion. This is because Hashimoto's disease leads to a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones that control the body's metabolism.