Hashimoto Disease Research Paper Example

Hashimoto Disease Research Paper Example 

Hashimoto disease is also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. 

What are the symptoms?

1. Fatigue and sluggishness
2. Increased sensitivity to cold
3. Constipation
4. Pale, dry skin
5. A puffy face
6. Hair loss
7. Enlargement of the tongue.
8. Unexplained weight gain
9. Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
10. Joint pain and stiffness
11. Muscle weakness
12. Excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding
13. Depression

What are the causes of the disease?

Doctors and researchers haven't figured exactly why people have developed this autoimmune disorder. They think it's a combination of genes and an outside trigger, like a virus. And another combination of factors - hereditary, sex and age- may also determine your likelihood of developing the disorder. Women are more likely to develop this disease not saying that men won't it is just more common in women. You can have a higher risk  if you have any other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, lupus, or  rheumatoid arthritis. you are also more prone to hashimoto's disease if you have been exposed to excessive levels of radiation. 

What glands and hormones are affected and why? 

You can have  inflammation of the thyroid gland that decreases the secretion of thyroid hormones. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is normally associated with increased size and bulge of the lymph nodes in the area of the thyroid gland.

Is this a genetic disease?

Hashimoto's disease can be a genetic disease but they don't know exactly for sure if it is or not 

Is there a specific population that is affected? 

Hashimoto’s disease is normally found among blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders compared with caucations. It is more common in middle age women but men have it so it is just as common in men as it is in women. 

What age does onset occur?

The disease may come about in the age teens or young women, it more often appears between ages 40 and 60.

How is it diagnosed?

Because Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder, the cause involves production of unnatural amounts of antibodies. A blood test may confirm the presence of antibodies against thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme normally found in the thyroid gland that plays a crucial role in the production of thyroid hormones, they also should ask if any close relatives have had it. 

What treatments are used?

Standard treatment for Hashimoto's disease is levothyroxine, the synthetic form of thyroxine. Even so, extracts are available that contain thyroid hormone derived from the thyroid glands of pigs. These products — Armour Thyroid, for example — contain both levothyroxine and triiodothyronine.

What benefits and risks are included with treatments? 

Benefits are the thyroid gland makes thyroid hormone which helps to control energy levels and growth. Levothyroxine is taken to put back  the missing thyroid hormone.

Risk of taking more than needed may be serious or possibly life threatening.

Is a cure possible or is this a lifelong condition?

There is no real  cure for this disease but you can keep it suppressed by replacing hormones with medication that can  regulate hormone levels and restore your normal metabolism.

Is this an acute or chronic disorder? 

Hashimoto disease usually  progresses slowly over years and causes chronic thyroid problems, leading to a major drop in thyroid hormone levels in your blood. The signs and symptoms are mainly those of an hypoactive thyroid gland.

Is there any current research being done regarding this disorder?

Yes There are, although a brief review online revealed that Hashimoto's studies might occur less often than those looking at other autoimmune disorders, simply based on availability of information.

Who discovered this disorder and how?

Hakaru Hashimoto, by looking at tissue samples and goiters of a few middle-aged women. The goiters brought to his attention because unlike the colloid goiter, which was commonly found, these goiters had a preponderance of lymphoid cells.