Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Hashimoto's And Celiac?

salexander421

By salexander421
in Related Issues & Disorders

Recommended Posts

salexander421 Enthusiast
salexander421
Posted

I know they are both autoimmune disorders so I know someone can obviously have both. I'm wondering if there is any literature that states the percentage of people with Hashimoto's who have Celiac as well? My Mom, her twin sister, and my cousin (mom's twin sister's daughter)all have hashimoto's. My mom and cousin are both on a gluten free diet but are not super strict, especially my mom who cheats pretty frequently. My aunt goes back and forth, one minute she thinks she has a problem with gluten and the next she is eating regular gluten foods. It's a mess! :P My mom and my aunt also both struggle with anemia and my aunt just had a hysterectomy at age 49, she was EXTREMELY anemic before hand. My aunt also gets a rash on her belly. I really suspect celiac here, especially with the issues that me and my girls have dealt with so far. Oh yeah, their brother (my uncle) has type 1 diabetes and overall not really healthy. I'm just looking for statistics here since they seem to respond well to that. Thanks!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I don't know the statistics, but my search in 2008 lead me to celiac. I was looking for a connection on hashimoto's disease and low ferritin/anemia. I found lots of articles referencing celiac. It was this research that eventually prompted me to get tested by my endocrinologist for celiac.

BrittLoves2Run Apprentice
BrittLoves2Run
Posted

I too am wondering about this today. I just had a Celiac blood panel and a Thyroid test done this morning. All the women in my family have underactive thyroid.. and i'm thinking I have Celiac too. I couldn't believe how hesitant my doctor was to test for Celiac!

  • 2 weeks later...
zeeclass6 Explorer
zeeclass6
Posted

I've had Hashimoto's for 15 years and have been gluten free for 3 weeks now on the advice of a new doctor. All the women in my family have thyroid problems and/or auto-immune problems of some sort.

My 90-year-old mother was first diagnosed with Hashi 5 years ago! Her sister had Hashi and then it flipped and became Graves.

None of us ever suspected a problem with gluten. But my mother dropped a bombshell on me the other day. She said that she remembers HER grandmother (in the 1930s) going to a special store to get gluten-free flour to make bread! But as far as I know, nobody in my family avoids gluten or has been diagnosed with Celiac, not even my mother or her sister.

My Celiac test was negative twice in 10 years. But recently I found out that my IGA is low, so it may be possible that I have some form of Celiac or just gluten sensitivity and not have known it. My clueless doctor didn't understand that maybe I should have further testing (IGG).

I have eaten gluten all my life and never considered that it was a problem, until the past few months. Body aches (feeling like there is glue in my body; very stiff), joint and muscle pain, slow healing of "pulled" muscles, worsening reflux, low B-12, and adhesive capsulitis in my shoulder prompted me to finally say, "Whoa, WHAT is going on????!!!" Suddenly, in the course of about a year, it seemed that something was crippling me for "no reason."

I got a lot of thyroid books out of the library and stumbled upon the Stop The Thyroid Madness (STTM) website (and eventually bought the book....both are EXCELLENT).

I saw a doctor from The Holtorf Group in N. Calif. They are extremely expensive. They ran a lot of tests. I found out that I have Fibrin in my blood and apparently have a problem called Hypercoagulation (thick clotty blood). I have no idea why, or when this started. Also, although my TSH was "perfect at 1.26" other tests (free T3, Reverse T3 and reflexes) showed that indeed I was still hypo and needed, at the very least, some T3.

I am not going back to the Holtorf doctor for several reasons. First, they are extremely expensive and aggressively push their private label supplements at you. Second, they do not really understand how to prescribe T3 and will not prescribe natural thyroid or do saliva cortisol tests. Thirdly, the doctors there are overloaded and do not have the time to even spend 5 minutes on the phone with you if you have questions later. "Just take the supplements." Yeah....$1,0000 in supplements! You read that right, one thousand dollars. I did not buy them. Are they crazy?!!!

Anyway, at the prompting of information from STTM, I got more blood tests and discovered that I am also anemic (low Ferritin, low saturation, high TIBC).

Then I saw the new doctor who said outright to me "You have an auto-immune disease. You should not be eating gluten!" He is the first doctor who ever mentioned this to me. (The expensive Holtorf doctor never mentioned gluten to me). Like I said, I've eating gluten my whole life. I didn't think it was a problem. But I've been gluten-free for 3 weeks now and in general I notice a lot less gas and bloating. And I'm not craving carbs or ANYTHING anymore. In fact, I barely have an appetite (is that bad?? I'm a little worried about that). So I assume that I must be sensitive to gluten....otherwise, why would these symptoms go away from eliminating gluten?

I have not done a challenge test yet. This weekend I plan to eat a few regular crackers and see how my body reacts.

I have an appointment with a Hematologist soon to discuss the coagulation thing and whether any of it is related to Celiac or gluten intolerance. I suspect that I may have some sort of malabsorption problem.

Everything in the body is related. The thyroid regulates a lot of things. Auto-immune diseases can really wreak havoc.

I hope that soon I will find the answers to my problems. Not sure whether I will need to continue staying gluten free or not. Not sure whether I will need Heparin injections for the coagulation problem. And I'm hoping that I can switch from Synthroid to Natural Desicated Thyroid, because I think that taking only Synthroid for 15 years has been a BIG part of my problem, causing these muscle problems, lingering depression, and other issues.

It is very hard to find a doctor who knows the proper tests to run, and even harder to find a doctor who interprets the tests properly and treats properly.

When it comes to thyroid issues, you need to educate yourself. I have found that most Endocrinologists are pompous idiots or slacker doctors who are not up on the latest research (such as Reverse T3, the importance of iron tests, B-12, or gluten/food issues relating to auto-immune problems). Educate yourself. Otherwise you will be at the mercy of sub-par doctors who will keep you sick.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,140
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    EmmaDett
    Newest Member
    EmmaDett
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Sarah Grace
      Headaches / Migraines and Hypoglycaemia

      By Sarah Grace · Posted

      Dear Kitty Since March I have been following your recommendations regarding vitamins to assist with various issues that I have been experiencing.  To recap, I am aged 68 and was late diagnosed with Celiac about 12 years ago.  I had been experiencing terrible early morning headaches which I had self diagnosed as hypoglycaemia.  I also mentioned that I had issues with insomnia, vertigo and brain fog.   It's now one year since I started on the Benfotiamine 600 mg/day.  I am still experiencing the hypoglycaemia and it's not really possible to say for sure whether the Benfotiamine is helpful.  In March this year, I added B-Complex Thiamine Hydrochloride and Magnesium L-Threonate on a daily basis, and I am now confident to report that the insomnia and vertigo and brain fog have all improved!!  So, very many thanks for your very helpful advice. I am now less confident that the early morning headaches are caused by hypoglycaemia, as even foods with a zero a GI rating (cheese, nuts, etc) can cause really server headaches, which sometimes require migraine medication in order to get rid off.  If you are able to suggest any other treatment I would definitely give it a try, as these headaches are a terrible burden.  Doctors in the UK have very limited knowledge concerning dietary issues, and I do not know how to get reliable advice from them. Best regards,
    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @rei.b,  I understand how frustrating starting a new way of eating can be.  I tried all sorts of gluten-free processed foods and just kept feeling worse.  My health didn't improve until I started the low histamine AIP diet.  It makes a big difference.   Gluten fits into opioid receptors in our bodies.  So, removing gluten can cause withdrawal symptoms and reveals the underlying discomfort.  SIBO can cause digestive symptoms.  SIBO can prevent vitamins from being absorbed by the intestines.  Thiamine insufficiency causes Gastrointestinal Beriberi (bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation).  Thiamine is the B vitamin that runs out first because it can only be stored for two weeks.  We need more thiamine when we're sick or under emotional stress.  Gastric Beriberi is under recognised by doctors.  An Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test is more accurate than a blood test for thiamine deficiency, but the best way to see if you're low in thiamine is to take it and look for health improvement.  Don't take Thiamine Mononitrate because the body can't utilize it well.  Try Benfotiamine.  Thiamine is water soluble, nontoxic and safe even at high doses.  I thought it was crazy, too, but simple vitamins and minerals are important.  The eight B vitamins work together, so a B Complex, Benfotiamine,  magnesium and Vitamin D really helped get my body to start healing, along with the AIP diet.  Once you heal, you add foods back in, so the AIP diet is worth doing for a few months. I do hope you'll consider the AIP diet and Benfotiamine.
    • captaincrab55
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By captaincrab55 · Posted

      Imemsm, Most of us have experienced discontinued, not currently available or products that suddenly become seasonal.   My biggest fear about relocating from Maryland to Florida 5 years ago, was being able to find gluten-free foods that fit my restricted diet.  I soon found out that the Win Dixie and Publix supper markets actually has 99% of their gluten-free foods tagged, next to the price.  The gluten-free tags opened up a  lot of foods that aren't actually marked gluten-free by the manufacture.  Now I only need to check for my other dietary restrictions.  Where my son lives in New Hartford, New York there's a Hannaford Supermarket that also has a gluten-free tag next to the price tag.  Hopefully you can locate a Supermarket within a reasonable travel distance that you can learn what foods to check out at a Supermarket close to you.  I have dermatitis herpetiformis too and I'm very sensitive to gluten and the three stores I named were very gluten-free friendly.  Good Luck 
    • rei.b
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

      Okay well the info about TTG-A actually makes a lot of sense and I wish the PA had explained that to me. But yes, I would assume I would have intestinal damage from eating a lot of gluten for 32 years while having all these symptoms. As far as avoiding gluten foods - I was definitely not doing that. Bread, pasta, quesadillas (with flour tortillas) and crackers are my 4 favorite foods and I ate at least one of those things multiple times a day e.g. breakfast with eggs and toast, a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and pasta for dinner, and crackers and cheese as a before bed snack. I'm not even kidding.  I'm not really big on sugar, so I don't really do sweets. I don't have any of those conditions.  I am not sure if I have the genes or not. When the geneticist did my genetic testing for EDS this year, I didn't think to ask for him to request the celiac genes so they didn't test for them, unfortunately.  I guess another expectation I had is  that if gluten was the issue, the gluten-free diet would make me feel better, and I'm 3 months in and that hasn't been the case. I am being very careful and reading every label because I didn't want to screw this up and have to do gluten-free for longer than necessary if I end up not having celiac. I'm literally checking everything, even tea and anything else prepacked like caramel dip. Honestly its making me anxious 😅
    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      So you're saying that you think you should have severe intestinal damage since you've had the symptoms so long?   DGP IgG antibodies are produced in response to a partial gluten molecule.  This is different than what tissue transglutaminase antibodies are  produced in response to.   TTg IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to gluten.  The tTg IgA antibodies attack our own cells because a structural component in our cell membranes resembles a part of gluten.  There's a correlation between the level of intestinal damage with the level of tTg antibodies produced.  You are not producing a high number of tTg IgA antibodies, so your level of tissue damage in your intestines is not very bad.  Be thankful.   There may be reasons why you are not producing a high quantity of tTg IgA antibodies.  Consuming ten grams or more of gluten a day for two weeks to two months before blood tests are done is required to get sufficient antibody production and damage to the intestines.  Some undiagnosed people tend to subconsciously avoid lots of gluten.  Cookies and cakes do not contain as much gluten as artisan breads and thick chewy pizza crust.  Anemia, diabetes and thiamine deficiency can affect IgA antibody production as well.   Do you carry genes for Celiac?  They frequently go along with EDS.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.