Hashimoto's Thyroiditis / Asymptomatic LC

[harvest_table]

BACKGROUND:

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune thyroid disorder. Lymphocytic colitis and collagenous colitis are characterized by diarrhea with normal endoscopic findings. Autoimmune disorders are common in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and lymphocytic colitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of lymphocytic colitis in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
STUDY:

Fifty patients with well-documented Hashimoto's thyroiditis were included. Twenty patients with nonulcer dyspepsia served as a control group. Five of 50 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis reported intermittent diarrhea, whereas no patients had diarrhea in the control group. All patients and the control group underwent total colonoscopy, and multiple colonoscopic biopsies were performed.
RESULTS:

We found that 40% (20 of 50) of Patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had histologic findings consistent with lymphocytic colitis, and one patient in the control group had lymphocytic colitis (p < 0.01). The mean number of intraepithelial lymphocytes was 34.4/100 epithelial cells in these 20 patients, whereas the mean number of intraepithelial lymphocytes was 12.3/100 epithelial cells in the other 30 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS:

There was a higher incidence of histologic findings of lymphocytic colitis in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, although most of the patients were clinically asymptomatic. This finding suggests that lymphocytic colitis may have an asymptomatic clinical course and should encourage further clinical investigations to better anticipate the relationship between autoimmune disorders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11873103

[MBombardier]

The first evidence of a hot node was in 2000, and I was diagnosed with CC in 2010, although the first incidence of fecal incontinence was in 2003 or 2004. So perhaps I already had it but was asymptomatic prior to 2003 or 2004. I know this study is only about LC, but I imagine it is germaine to CC as well. How much further along I would be if I had gone GF back then. Points out the importance of educating oneself.

Thanks for posting, Joanna.

[Zizzle]

Wow, my MIL and a friend both had Hashimoto's well before they developed "gluten sensitivity." I've often wondered whether they have a mild case of MC, since their symptoms are so similar to mine.

[DebE13]

I was dx with CC in 2007. Hashimoto's in 2012. There were many years of thyroid symptoms even though nothing ever showed on my bloodwork before the dx and the only reason it was found was because I had thyroid cancer and a total thyroidectomy.