Information for patients from Frankfurt about Hashimoto
Specialist for the Frankfurt area: Diagnosis and therapy for Hashimoto
FRANKFURT: Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease characterised by permanent hypothyroidism. Prof Dr med Dr h.c. Christian Wüster is a specialist in endocrinology in Mainz and also treats patients from Frankfurt and the entire Rhine-Main region at the Hormone and Metabolism Centre. He comments on the diagnosis and treatment of Hashimoto’s: ‘ Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroiditis occurs in around two per cent of adults. The disease is considered to be almost the only cause of permanent hypothyroidism in adult patients. There is a clear difference in frequency depending on gender: women are affected by Hashimoto’s around ten times more frequently than men. At the same time, there is a familial predisposition.’
Endocrinologist for the Frankfurt catchment area: Hashimoto’s attacks the immune system
How does Hashimoto’s manifest itself? ‘Put simply, Hashimoto’s disease causes the body’s immune system to attack thyroid tissue. It is recognised as foreign and fought against. The background to this is an overstimulation of the immune system and, as a result, the formation of antibodies. Science still has no precise explanation as to how this type of over-response of the immune system occurs.
It is assumed that certain genes that influence the control of the immune system play a role. However, a reaction to certain medications such as chemotherapeutic agents in the form of checkpoint and tyrosine kinase inhibitors is also conceivable.
Specialist from the Hormone and Metabolism Centre for the Frankfurt area on Hashimoto’s therapy
The course of Hashimoto’s disease is always very individual, as Prof Wüster can confirm for many of his patients in the Frankfurt area. ‘Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often progresses painlessly and in episodes. Diagnosis is not always easy due to the individual symptoms. The disease only becomes noticeable with symptoms at an advanced stage. These can include listlessness, freezing, hair loss and an irregular menstrual cycle. Many patients with Hashimoto’s also have problems getting pregnant. Therapy is aimed at treating the inflammatory reactions associated with Hashimoto’s disease. Even if the disease is not easy to diagnose, it can usually be treated well with medication,’ explains Prof Wüster.
