Thyroid anxiety: Hair loss may indicate Hashimoto’s disease

Excessive hair loss can be caused by various factors. Some of them are not too serious and require only proper care of your body - for example, replenishment of missing vitamins in the diet. Stress, UV rays and climate change also affect hair weakening. It can also be the result of improper care. It happens, however, that this is one of the symptoms of a serious illness and should be an alarm signal that something bad is happening to our body.

Hair loss and Hashimoto’s disease

Hashimoto’s disease (chronic autoimmune thyroiditis) is caused by a malfunction of the immune system. It usually presents with fatigue, weight gain, and general weakness, but there is another less obvious symptom associated with it. It’s about excessive hair loss. This is due to the fact that the thyroid gland is an organ whose proper or impaired functioning affects the entire body. The hormones it produces regulate the metabolism of all cells. This also applies to those related to hair growth and regeneration.
A deficiency of thyroid hormones causes swelling of the subcutaneous tissue responsible for nourishing the hair, which affects their condition. In addition, with Hashimoto’s disease, the secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands decreases, resulting in dry hair. In addition, the consequences of taking certain medications (hormonal, antibiotics) can cause acquired brittle hair. Inadequate thyroid function also robs hair of important vitamins and minerals, making it dry, rough and brittle.

Other symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease

In addition to hair loss, Hashimoto’s disease can also present with:

• constant fatigue

• increased sleepiness,

• freezing (cold hands and feet),

• problems with pregnancy

• low blood pressure

• weight gain,

• brittle nails,

• dry skin.

How to check the thyroid gland?

Increased hair loss can be one of the symptoms of thyroid disease, not just Hashimoto’s disease. In such a situation, it is worth visiting a doctor who will prescribe an analysis for THS (thyroid-stimulating hormone), which will show whether the thyroid gland is working properly - during this test, the level of THS is determined. Thanks to this, it will be possible to identify dysfunction of the thyroid gland. At a later stage, this also allows monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment for hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease, in turn, is diagnosed by blood tests for thyroid hormones, as well as anti-TPO tests or thyroid ultrasound.

How to care for hair with Hashimoto’s disease?

With Hashimoto’s disease, it is worth taking care of proper nutrition in order to provide the body with important nutrients for health. It should contain the right amount of complete protein. So the question arises: what is there with Hashimoto? Reach for animal products such as: meat, fish, eggs, milk. Other ingredients that are important in the diet of people with this condition include:

• iodine,

• iron,

• zinc,

• selenium,

• vitamins A and D,

• b vitamins,

• polyunsaturated fatty acids,

• carbohydrates with a low glycemic index,

• alimentary fiber.

It is also necessary to take care of proper hair care - avoid products that can additionally dry the scalp and hair. A good way is to use moisturizing wipes that will improve the condition of the hair. It is also worth consulting a trichologist or dermatologist.