Thyroid diseases and diabetes often go hand in hand. Thyroid disease can have a major impact on diabetes and overall well-being, so you should keep an eye on it.
Your thyroid and what it does
Your thyroid gland is a hormone-producing gland that regulates the body’s metabolism. It is located at the bottom of the neck.
These glands play an important role in regulating many things in the body, including weight, energy, blood pressure, heart rate, mood, menstrual cycle, sexual urges, and even memory.
According to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), more than 12% of the US population develops thyroid conditions in their lifetime.
Thyroid problems are common and easy to test, but symptoms and test results can be easily overlooked or mistaken for other conditions. This can make accurate diagnosis difficult.
Types of thyroid disorders
Thyroid disease develops when hormone production is impaired. The thyroid gland is either too low in thyroid hormones (called hypothyroidism) or too much (called hyperthyroidism).
Causes of hyperthyroidism include grave disease, thyroid nodule, thyroiditis-thyroid inflammation. Hyperthyroidism is less common in the two conditions, with only 0.5% of type 1 diabetes suffering from hyperthyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common – in both the general population and the diabetic population. The most common cause is called Hashimoto’s disease.
The reason is not clear, but women are 5-8 times more likely to develop thyroid problems than men.
Symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
The thyroid gland regulates how the body uses energy and plays an important role in affecting the functioning of all organs.
Therefore, the imbalance in thyroid hormone production, although too much or too little, can lead to serious health effects. These imbalances can affect the body’s metabolic rate and can affect everything from heart rate to body temperature.
Symptoms experienced due to these conditions may vary from person to person. You may experience some or all of the following symptoms:
Symptoms of hypothyroidism
- Weight gain of unknown cause
- Chronic fatigue
- Low blood pressure and slow pulse rate
- depression
- Increased sensitivity to cold
- constipation
- Irritating skin
- Irregular period
- Low-gender libido
- Short-term memory loss
- Muscle convulsions
- Hair removal and thinning
- Dry, rough skin
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism
- Weight loss for unknown reasons
- Chronic fatigue
- High blood pressure and increased pulse rate
- anxiety
- Thermal intolerance
- diarrhea
- Itchy skin and hives
- Light period
- Low-gender libido
- The difficulty of concentration
- Muscle strength loss
- Hair removal and thinning
- Smooth, warm or moist skin
How are diabetes and thyroid diseases connected?
The prevalence of thyroid disease in type 2 diabetes is higher than in the general population, with 17-30% of type 1 diabetes suffering from thyroid disease.
This is in considerable contrast to the general population in the United States, where only 12 percent develop thyroid conditions.
In other words, people living with diabetes are almost twice as likely to develop thyroid disease compared to the general population.
However, that does not mean that diabetes causes thyroid disease.
Is Type 2 diabetes linked to thyroid disease?
As far as we know, there is no direct link between type 2 diabetes and thyroid disease.
The reason why many people live with both thyroid disease and type 2 diabetes is R. Because MackHarrell, Director of Medical Imaging at MBA, MBA, FACP, FACP, FACE, ECNU, Memorial Center for Integrated Endocrine Surgery, and is the most common endocrine disease in the United States, according to past existence of the American Association of Clinical Endocrine Surgery.
Is Type 1 diabetes linked to thyroid disease?
Just like type 1 diabetes, most types of thyroid disease are autoimmune disorders. Unfortunately, studies have shown that if you have one autoimmune disease, they are more likely to develop other diseases.
In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. In certain thyroid diseases, the immune system attacks the cells in the thyroid gland.
Although it is not well understood why people develop autoimmune diseases, there are many theories.
In an interview, Lowell Schmeltz, Maryland, Faith, Fellow at William Beaumont Medicine School of Endocrinology, University of Oakland, and a fellow at the American School of Endocrinology, said, “There are genetic risks that link these autoimmune conditions, but we don’t know what environmental triggers will activate them.”
Research has not shown that type 1 diabetes actually causes thyroid disease, but diabetes diagnosis generally occurs first, with thyroid symptoms occurring at some point afterwards.
Can thyroid problems affect blood sugar levels?
Thyroid disease can have a significant impact on diabetes management and can increase the risk of people developing diabetes complications.
One way to detect thyroid disease from time to time in diabetic patients is when blood sugar suddenly (and consistently) becomes very unstable and difficult to manage.
Although the direct link between hypothyroidism and hypoglycemia is not fully established, this condition can lead to changes in the way your body metabolizes glucose. Hypothyroidism slows metabolism, affects glucose usage, and can affect blood glucose control.
Hypothyroidism is associated with altered insulin sensitivity. In some cases, it can lead to a decrease insulin sensitivity, which leads to body cells becoming less responsive to insulin.
This insulin resistance can make it difficult for the body to lower blood sugar levels, which can lead to hyperglycemia. Slow metabolism associated with hypothyroidism means that glucose may be processed more slowly, which may affect overall blood glucose control.
Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, can increase the body’s metabolic rate, and increased energy expenditure may increase the need for insulin.
This growing demand for insulin can lead to difficulties in blood glucose control. In some cases, this can lead to hyperglycemic levels if the body is unable to compensate for an increased need for insulin.
Blood glucose levels also may affect thyroid function. Hyperglycemia associated with hyperthyroidism can contribute to metabolic syndrome, hyperglycemia, hypertension, high triglycerides (blood fat), low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and large waist clusters. Untreated metabolic syndrome can develop into type 2 diabetes.
Furthermore, it has been suggested that insulin resistance characteristic of type 2 diabetes may also be associated with both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
When is the test done for thyroid disease?
American Diabetes Association Medical Standards for Diabetes – 2024 Frequent screening of thyroid disease in people living with type 1 diabetes is recommended.
Patients with type 1 diabetes should test for autoimmune thyroid disease after diagnosis and will still have regular follow-up screenings (1-2 years) even if they do not show symptoms of thyroid disease.
There are no screening guidelines for people with type 2 diabetes. However, some people recommend that women over the age of 50 should be tested regularly for thyroid disease along with type 2 diabetes.
How to test for thyroid disease
In many cases, what is needed is a thyroid blood test (biomarkers: TSH, T3, and T4). It may also make sense for patients with type 1 diabetes to undergo a thyroid antibody test.
You can get tested for thyroid disease by visiting your doctor and asking for a blood test. Sometimes physical examinations and scanning of the thyroid itself are also recommended.
How to treat thyroid diseases
If your tests return from normal range, you will need to discuss treatment options with your doctor. The good news is that thyroid diseases are generally fairly easy to treat.
If you are diagnosed with hypothyroidism, you will likely be given daily pills such as levothyroxine (brand names Synthroid, L-siloxine, Unithroid, etc.), which contains synthetic human thyroid hormones.
Providers may need to adjust dosage several times until thyroid hormone levels return to range. For most people, it is a chronic condition, so dosage adjustments may be necessary over the years.
If you are experiencing unpleasant symptoms, it may be a sign that the dose of thyroid medication needs adjustment with the help of a medical team.
Treatment of hyperthyroidism is a little more complicated and may involve drug therapy, radioiodine therapy (to reduce hyperactive cells in the thyroid and prevent high levels of hormones) and combinations of these. In some cases, hyperthyroidism can resolve itself.
In either case, it also helps both health and general well-being of thyroid function, such as getting adequate sleep, engage in regular physical activity, eating a balanced, nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight and taking regular tests recommended by the medical team.
