Hashimoto – Guide for patients from Mainz

MAINZ: The Hormone and Metabolism Centre in Mainz treats a wide range of metabolic diseases. These include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, for example. The name goes back to Hakaru Hashimoto (1881-1934), who first described the disease. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is also known as autoimmune thyroiditis and is the most common thyroid disease in adults.

It can be accompanied by hypothyroidism. The disease is caused by an inflammatory reaction in the thyroid gland. This can result in impaired thyroid hormone production. The physical reactions to these changes vary greatly from patient to patient: Some react with an enlarged thyroid gland, others with a reduced thyroid gland. The mechanism that explains these different reactions has not yet been sufficiently researched.

Hashimoto’s: diagnosis and treatment at the Hormone & Metabolism Centre in Mainz

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is diagnosed using antibodies in the blood. Specifically, these are antibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPO-AK) or against thyroglobulin (Tg-AK). ‘At the Hormone and Metabolism Centre in Mainz, we are able to make a rapid diagnosis using blood analyses in our in-house laboratory.

A reliable analysis of the hormone and antibody values is important in order to derive the correct therapeutic steps. This is because Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a disease with very individual courses. Normal thyroid hormone levels can be accompanied by an increase in antibody levels. However, this does not necessarily mean that the affected patient must also be treated,’ emphasises Professor Dr. Dr. h. c. Christian Wüster, Head of the Hormone & Metabolism Centre in Mainz.

Prof Dr Dr h. c. Christian Wüster: Early diagnosis of Hashimoto’s is important

How is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis treated at the Hormone & Metabolism Centre in Mainz? Early diagnosis is particularly important in order to avoid symptoms of hypothyroidism. Treatment is aimed at replacing the thyroid hormone deficiency with medication. If such a failure occurs, patients sometimes need thyroid hormones for the rest of their lives, whereas in others the disease is reversible and heals without a defect (especially if diagnosed early). It is also important to check whether autoimmune thyroiditis is associated with other autoimmune diseases. These include, for example, the so-called white spot disease of the skin, vitamin B12 deficiency, gluten intolerance or Adison’s disease.