Graves disease and vitiligo
Common Questions and Answers about Graves disease and vitiligo
graves-disease
Hi All,
I was just diagnosed with Graves (this morning, though I've known for awhile it was either Graves or Hashi's) and I also have Vitiligo. My doctor mentioned that now that I have two autoimmne disease I need to keep an eye out for more because they clustered. I was wondering if anyone here has more than one, and how they handle it?
Thank you!
This includes constant fatigue, inability to put on weight, thin skin, heat sensitivity, shortness of breath, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, eyes that water excessively, lump in throat, as well as premature graying of some pubic hair and a few eyelashes and vitiligo (only on one section of my body), both of which are linked with hyperthyroidism.
Hypothyroidism slows metabolism and this can cause the parietal cells to produce less stomach acid (hypochlorhydria). Adequate levels of stomach acid is required for vitamin B12 absorption.
Another cause for vitamin B12 deficiency is due to other autoimmune disease that may occur with Hashimoto's thyroiditis such as autoimmune pernicious anaemia or celiac disease.
Prevalence and relative risk of other autoimmune diseases in subjects with autoimmune thyroid disease. Am J Med.
Definitely. FT3 and FT4 (free T3 and free T4) along with TSH are essential to diagnosing and treating thyroid problems. Since your son's TSH is elevated, it would indicate hypothyroidism rather than Graves' (hyper). So, I'd suggest having antibodies tested...TPOab (thyroid peroxidase antibodies) and TGab (thyroglobulin antibodies). These two would confirm Hashi's, and both are needed because some of us are TPOab positive, some TGab positive and some both.
I took him to the doc because I felt he had some similar symptoms to those I had when I had Graves Disease (headaches, short temper, protruding eyes, hungry but weight loss). He also has extensive vitiligo (about 85%body surface) which I know increases the risk of thyroid disease. The doc has said to repeat the TSH in a month or so - I'm just wondering if he ought to have any other thyroid screening at the same time, particularly as blood tests are fairly traumatic for him.
“In some patients, Graves disease represents a part of more extensive autoimmune processes leading to dysfunction of multiple organs (eg, autoimmune polyglandular syndromes). Graves disease is associated with pernicious anemia, vitiligo, diabetes mellitus type 1, autoimmune adrenal insufficiency, systemic sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Sjögren syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.”
I would strongly recommend you to see a heart specialist to adjust the medications.
Vitiligo is 10 to 15 times more common in patients with other autoimmune diseases, such as Addison disease, diabetes mellitus, pernicious anemia, discoid lupus, and abnormal thyroid function. This disorder has only recently been identified as an autoimmune disease because organ-specific antibodies have now been detected in patients with vitiligo. The autoimmune reaction leads to destruction of pigment cells (melanocytes). Pigment cells are what give color or tint to the skin.
Hello all, I was diagnosed with an overactive thryoid in December 2009, having been treated wrongly 3 times before being blood tested.
My first results were as follows:
30/11/09 TSH under 0.03 T4 19.8
7/12/09 TSH under 0.03 T4 27.3
9/12/09 TSH under 0.03 T3 8.6
8/1/10 TSH under 0.03 T4 18.1
20/1/10 TSH under 0.03 T4 13.8
I was put on 250mg Proplythiouracil daily along with beta blockers.
I developed Vitiligo after going on Armour Thyroid although I don't think it was the Armour. When I was on Synthroid my T4 levels were good at 15. No one would keep me there after the "TSH" test came on the market. So I went on Armour to get the T3 I needed. As time has gone on the dr. keeps lowering my meds and I get more white spots with each lower level. I know they are related somehow because I went on Syn.
The doctor took me off because my tsh was 0.02 in September and I had the blood tests confirming Graves with hyperthyroidism. Now, a month later and my Graves is in remission and I'm hypothyroid again but my TSH is the highest its ever been!
"That theory received a boost by recent research suggesting that the age at which a woman enters menopause—which is marked by a steep drop in production of the hormone estrogen—influences not only her risk for RA, but the severity of symptoms should she develop the disease." Arthritis Today - Menopause Increases Risk of RA
Reading that, I'd be taking phytoestrogens as soon as I realised I was heading into menopause.
Hello. I am new to the group. I have been diagnosed with 2 autoimmune disorders (Graves' Disease and Vitiligo) in addition to asthma, acid reflux, sleep apnea, severe inhaled allergies especially ragweed and fall mold), depression (potential misdiagnosis), mild vasovagal syncope, chronic fatigue. I also had surgery in 2012 to remove severely inflamed sinus tissue.
Contrary to popular belief, Vitiligo is NOT treatable, preventable nor is it something to have to need treatment, it's NOT contagious, or life threatening,
I have had Vitiligo since I was 6yrs old, I have it all over my body, yep, when I was young, kids can be very cruel, and even now, some adults are inept at niceness.. (once I had two grown women in a restaurant I was at, on the way into the bathroom look at me as if I had leprosy and one said "I tried not to touch her!
You need a second opinion.
Based on what you describe, you have autoimmune thyroid disease with markers for Graves' (TSI) and the other common antibodies (TPO and Tg) that are usually associated with hashimoto's. Graves' and Hashi should be considered as entities on two ends of a spectrum, not two completely different diseases.
This may cause fluctuating thyroid function to hypo and hyper and back but this is not common.
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