The Link Between Autoimmune Thyroid Disease, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis - Podcast

In this video, we explore the link between autoimmune thyroid disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Here we answer all these questions
#autoimmunedisease #thyroiddisease #lupus #rheumatoidarthritis #hashimoto #thyroiditis

0:00 Intro
01:51 What is autoimmune thyroid disease?
03:40 If you have autoimmune thyroiditis, are you predisposed to develop more autoimmune diseases?
05:17 How often do lupus patients have autoimmune thyroiditis?
06:17 How often do Rheumatoid Arthritis patients have autoimmune thyroiditis?
07:56 When should you check the thyroid function in Lupus/ Rheumatoid arthritis patients?
11:16 Do you treat thyroid disease differently for SLE and RA patients?
14:03 Are there different types of thyroid hormone replacements: natural vs. synthetic thyroid hormones? Which one is best?
18:01 Can thyroid disease mimic lupus? or Rheumatoid arthritis?

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👩🏻‍⚕️ About me:
Dr. Diana Girnita is a double board-certified physician in rheumatology and internal medicine. With a Ph.D. in immunology and training at Harvard and top universities, she founded Rheumatologist OnCall, offering integrative medicine to broaden rheumatology access. With a focus on personalized treatment, Dr. Girnita incorporates proper nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Experience her passion for helping patients with autoimmune disease and arthritis. This video provides general information and is not a substitute for medical advice. Views expressed in comments do not reflect the opinion of Rheumatologist OnCall.
Important Notice: Medical advice, opinions, or diagnosis cannot be provided through email, phone, or social media. Our clinic serves patients in various US states. Check our website to confirm if we are accepting patients in your state."

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video, is for general information purposes only and does not replace a medical consultation. Any comments and/or recommendations made in the comment section by anyone other than Rheumatologist OnCall do not reflect our opinion or recommendation.**

[deenaengelmann]

I really love these videos! They're very informative! I have Hashimoto's, Sjogren's Syndrome, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have an issue with the statement that if TSH is "normal" then no further tests are needed. I was symptomatic for YEARS even though my TSH was in the normal range. I finally had a doctor that had the entire thyroid panel test done and my TPO antibodies were over 1, 000. I also have thyroid nodules. After 15 years of dealing with it, I know that I'm symptomatic with a TSH >1.5, which is well below the current top of the normal range. Also, I've tried name brand Synthroid and the generic levothyroxine, NatureThroid, and Armour Thyroid. Armour is the only one that works for me at all as far as symptoms go. My insurance doesn't cover it, but it's not that expensive, so I just pay for it. I'm noticing that in the past few years my TSH has been fluctuating much more than it used to, and after having Covid, my Sjogren's and RA are much more difficult to manage. I had gone through several rounds of Rituximab and had great results that lasted for several years, until Covid. Now I'm on Enbrel, but it's only been for 3 weeks, so I'm not sure how well it will work yet, but I'm hopeful!

[theanswerisprayer]

Hi @mama Shiraz thank you so much for sharing your experiences with your health. It helps to know others understand, which I also found helpful in my sjogrens group. It’s good to hear that you were able to find a good doctor and maybe I will find one also. I wish you all the best.

[MyFavoriteColorIsBLUE]

Thanks for having this Dr on here Dr Girnita ❤

[NoTfRoMThIsPlAnEt]

After I had my daughter I had hypothyroidism and about a year after that started, I was having arthritic symptoms, fatigue and memory issues. My PA only tested me for RA and never tested me for anti thyroid antibodies. That was 7 years ago and my thyroid is back to normal for the most part but I still suffer from chronic pain and severe fatigue. I might have found a doctor that will do the needed tests on my thyroid.

[mamashiraz]

Wow you’ve been through a lot…I can relate. I will address those points I’ve had experience with:

Once you have a positive ANA, you don’t need to do it again. Even if it’s a low positive, there’s no reason to repeat it because the number doesn’t reflect the severity of illness. also, the ANA test is not specific to any one AI disorder so further testing needs to be done to figure out which one/s you have.

Most diagnosis are a combination of clinical (symptoms) and diagnostic (bloodwork, other testing). Just having a positive blood test doesn’t confirm a diagnosis as well as a negative blood test doesn’t rule out a diagnosis. In my case, my RF is negative (blood) but ultrasound and MRI shows I have moderate to advanced rheumatoid arthritis. The autoantibodies were found in my joint fluid. Similarly, my Ro and La are negative (so far) but the Early Sjogrens Panel is positive (test that detects salivary autoantibodies as well as others) and I’ve had Sjogrens symptoms for years. My doc continues to test for Ro and La because a positive result could implicate other issues as well. Sjogrens is just as serious a condition as Lupus and needs to be monitored and treated (some docs just send you away with eye drops🤦🏻‍♀️).

It’s very important for your doctor to run the appropriate tests to monitor your conditions to know that treatment is working. It’s important because you want to stop progression and permanent damage. It gets complicated and you want a doc who knows what they’re doing. I’ve gotten 2nd and 3rd opinions until I found a specialist who uncovered what’s going on! He’s figured out most things:
Sjogrens
Hashimoto’s
SLE
RA
Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Reynauds
Celiac’s
Ulcerative Colitis
MCTD - for an inherited genetic type of autoimmune disorders.

I really wish you well on your journey to better health🙏🏼💪🏼 @theanswerisprayer

[litebrite]

Ugh, ask your doctor to go on record if they refuse a test. How long did it take you to get a diagnosis? Did you loose work? Did you have harm done that is irreversible? Clinician or not you are not the patient and it’s important that the patients requests and concerns are validated. I was over looked for autoimmune diseases with a positive ANA until my I privately had my whole genome sequenced. Lo and behold look at all those disease detecting variants that mark 4 autoimmune desease. Dr. Need to stop playing god

[nancys]

What if you've had thyroid nodules and hypothyroidism? Please advise, my weight will absolutely not go down unless I eat once a day a good meal I ONLY eat gluten free with protein and vegetables and walk at least 30 minutes 5-7 times a day, sometimes I get frustrated and just eat 2 times a day and I absolutely gain which is really hard on my joints with rheumatoid arthritis, sjogrens, injury induced arthritis and osteoarthritis.

[fificruz]

My endocrinologist said I have Hashimotos and my thyroid is good. I’m not diabetic, not on any medication. I have lots of inflammation in my feet, hands and now shoulder pain. Why won’t she do more blood work? Im new to all this and it’s so confusing.

[MyFavoriteColorIsBLUE]

I have Graves disease, sjogrens disease and fibromyalgia. Am I at risk for more of these diseases that you are talking about?

[naomikanini]

Which foods can be good for someone with lupus

[crazeekids]

I have SLE and Hashimoto’s. Life is hard right now.

[lifeisveryshort]

Hello Mam I'm apla positive patient so nw 8 miscarriages. So next pregnancy chance's of success pregnancy mam

[theanswerisprayer]

Revised and deleted most of original post and test results per @Dr Girnita’s reply. I did enjoy the podcast and only asked for help because I wanted to know more your thoughts. I wasn’t seeking a free consultation as I have great insurance. I was looking for insight ..my apologies.

Hi
Doctor, I have been to 5 different Rheumatologist since 2008. I was first diagnosed with Sjogrens and two years later was tested and told I had Lupus and RA.

[angelacapota]

Va rugam traduceri in limba romana a
Este extrem de interesant

[lindyc.]

I TRIED TO LISTEN TO THIS VIDEO TWICE...BUT, I STILL COULDN'T UNDERSTAND THIS GUEST DOCTOR....
IF YOU HAVE AUTOIMMUNE THYROIDITIS BY ITSELF, ARE YOU AT RISK OF DEVELOPING LUPUS OR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS...YES OR NO???

[entrepreneurlife]

Question for you both: my ESR has been raised for several years but it doubled within the last six months of 2022, so my rheumatologist started me on methotrexate. I had to end up stopping the MTX after a month or so because I was having issues with infection, viruses and healing. That was about 3 months ago. Yesterday my jaw locked and I was diagnosed in the ER with TMJ.
On another note, because my antibodies, Anion Gap, etc do not show what my rheumatologist feels is an appropriate number she says she will not formally diagnose Lupus or similar. She just basically says she doesn't understand why my inflammation rate is so high.
I do have other dx including but not limited to fibromyalgia and neuropathy (non-diabetic). What are your thoughts?

[leonorabalamban]

i had been diagnosed with hashimotos thyroditis and my doctor said i will be having my synthroid meds for life.Is there a possibility that my thyroid functions normally through diet

[tracysmith]

my lack of PTH gave me lupus lack of Vitamin D