Can thyroid issues mimic gluten reaction ?

[Arduaine]

Hi, 

i have been struggling to get over a gluten cc issue for the last few weeks (been eating whole foods no dairy/ oats etc)  I went for a blood test this week as the numbness and tingling can’t back and it showed a slightly under active thyroid (6.41 MI/UL) with low tS4 pmol (11.6) 

Could this be prolonging stomach issues? (Mainly d rather than c ) 

im not officially diagnosed celiac but my reactions are extreme. I feel like I must be getting some gluten in my system from somewhere as I was feeling better but a lot worse this last week. Could this be the thyroid contributing? The only other factor is maybe I reintroduced oats too soon? Does this tend to have as a severe reaction? 

My home at the moment is not gluten-free and I live with someone who likes to leave flour everywhere so it could just be that! 

 

Its been six weeks since the cc so feeling a bit desperate! 

[GFinDC]

Hi,

Here is a Mayo Clinic link that talks about hypothyroid symptoms.  Oats can cause an autoimmune reaction in some people with celiac disease.  Cross-contamination can certainly cause symptoms too.  It sounds like you are eating right to recover.  I've had glutening symptoms last 6 weeks before so It is not too long a time to expect them to continue.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypothyroidism/symptoms-causes/syc-20350284

[cyclinglady]

If your TSH is elevated (assuming the 6.41 result was TSH), you are hypothyroid and should be treated.  Better yet, you should find the root cause by asking your doctor to order a thyroid antibodies panel.  Being hypo usually slows everything down, so I would guess that you are getting gluten into your diet.  Since you live with flour in the house, consider asking for a celiac test too.  You might not get a positive, but it might be worth trying.  If that is not an option, then you need to put procedures into your house to keep you safe.  Sometimes a diagnosis can make family and friends more supportive.  

I have both autoimmune thyroiditis and celiac disease.  Their main symptoms do not really overlap for me.  

[Connie Hess]

Absolutely. The. Numbness and tingling is the thyroid problem. If you rub the front of your throat for say 15 seconds, does you voice change? This is caused by nodules in the thyroid. This is hashimotos. It is autoimmune and goes hand in hand with celiac. Also if there is any flour in your house you need to Always wash your hands if you may have accidentally come in contact with it.  I have the same problem here. Also once you are diagnosed with celiac it takes months to get it out of your system. 

[cyclinglady]

Connie brings up a good point.  Be sure your doctor actually touches your thyroid during an examination.  I think today’s clinicians spend too much time just listening to patients and checking lab results.  Sometimes just touching the patient can  reveal issues.  

My Hashimoto's (Dx 20+ years) was caught by a physical exam which revealed an enlarged thyroid (not visible) and nodules.  Long before my thyroid lab panel went out of wack (though I did test positive for thyroid antibodies).  

In my case, my voice was not impacted which could be due to the goiter size or nodule location.  

Within one year or so after my celiac disease diagnosis, my enlarged thyroid and nodules disappeared!  This tells me that autoimmune disorders are commonly linked or can be triggered when one is flaring.  But heck....not enough studies to know for sure, but I think it is true.  I can see why so many people who have autoimmune disorders try a gluten free diet. I wish more would first test for celiac disease before changing their diets.