In the Netherlands if you have celiac disease and Hashimoto’s you will regularly visit two different doctors. Your Hashimoto’s will be controlled by Internist (in Dutch also ‘Internist’) and the celiac will be under supervision of so called ‘Stomach – Intestine – Liver’ specialist (in Dutch ‘Maag- Darm- Lever’, MDL-arts).
Since a lot of the symptoms of Hashimoto’s and celiac are very similar, it took years before my celiac was diagnosed. It happened by a coincident after my Internist diagnosed me with the iron-deficiency anemia. Surprised by the low level of iron, she decided to screen my blood on celiac disease. First, I thought it was exaggeration; I had no suspicions of having celiac. When the results arrived and I received the phone call with the news, I could not believe and decided to run the test again in Poland (my home country). Well, it was positive for the second time.
Symptoms of Hashimoto’s
Most common
- Fatigue (99%)
- Dry, coarse skin (97%)
- Lethargy (91%)
- Eyelid edema (90%)
- Cold intolerance (89%)
- Decreased sweating (89%)
- Pallor of skin (67%)
- Cognitive changes like memory impairment (66%)
- Constipation (61%)
- Weight gain (59%)
- Loss of hair (57%)
- Peripheral (55%)
- Hoarseness (52%)
- Heavy (menorrhagia) or irregular menstrual periods (32%)
Other
- Muscle pain
- Stiff and tender joints, particularly in the hands, feet and knees
- Dry, thinning hair
- Yellowish skin due to inability to convert beta carotene into vitamin A
- White discoloration of skin especially on upper arms
- Impaired fertility
- Problems getting pregnant
- Giving birth to a baby with birth defects
- Miscarriage
- Decreased libido
- Slowed heart rate
- High cholesterol
- Heart problems
- Shortness of breath
- Recurrent hypoglycemia
- Fluid retention (oedema)
- Swelling of the legs
- Puffy face
- Decreased sense of taste and smell
- Unnatural sleepiness
- Decreased concentration
- Slow though process
- Sluggish reflexes
- Diminish cognition
- Slow motor function
- Drowsiness
- Irritability
- Moodiness
Why some people have more symptoms than others? Check this video to find out the answer.
