Hashimoto’s Disease

Overview

First, your healthcare provider will:

Ask about your symptoms.
Ask about your medical history.
Perform a physical exam, including feeling your thyroid gland.

After this assessment, they’ll order blood tests to confirm the diagnosis, including:

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test: A high TSH level most often means your thyroid gland isn’t producing enough thyroxine (T4) hormone. This result usually means you have hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism.
Free thyroxine (T4) test: A low T4 level suggests that you have hypothyroidism.
Antithyroid antibody test: If you have certain autoantibodies in your blood, it usually points to Hashimoto’s disease as the cause of hypothyroidism, as opposed to something else, like iodine deficiency.

In some cases, your provider may recommend a thyroid ultrasound (imaging test) to check the size of your thyroid and to make sure you don’t have thyroid nodules (growths).

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Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

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