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Madelyn LoPresti

Professor Sobocinski

English Composition 1201

4 March 2020

Literature Review

Hashimoto’s disease is a disease that causes the immune system to attack the thyroid

gland. Once the thyroid gland is damaged, it becomes unable to produce thyroid hormones. This

damage to the thyroid causes an array of unpleasant symptoms. Some of these symptoms include

fatigue, weight gain, joint stiffness, and muscle weakness. Since these symptoms are often

difficult to treat, I am trying to explore how treatments for Hashimoto’s disease affect the quality

of life of the patients. I want to research how treatments for Hashimoto’s disease affect quality of

life because the treatments recommended to patients are often dreadful. Doctors consistently see

the quality of life in their patients diminish and therefore, the Hashimoto’s becomes significantly

more difficult to treat. In my research I’ve found that this seems to be a recurring thought. One of

my sources expressed so in the conclusion by stating “Patients on long-term levothyroxine

replacement show persistent impairments in both cognitive functioning and general well-being. “

(Djurovic, 2018).

Although my sources make good points, there are some disagreements present. Jeffrey

Garber uses Norway’s Telemark Hospital study to back up his claims. He argues in his “Harvard

Health” post that even though the study done to evaluate the benefits of a thyroidectomy had

promising results, the study itself is too small. On the other hand, Trevor Angell’s opinion

written in “Clinical Thyroidology,” proved he felt differently. He explains how the total

thyroidectomy plus thyroid hormone replacement showed significant improvement in the

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patients. Patients experienced positive effects such as better quality of life and low fatigue

scores. I personally agree with Jeffrey Garber from “Harvard Health” because a thyroidectomy is

a major surgery and I think before doctors can recommend that kind of treatment to patients, they

need to be certain it is effective. The doctors could do so by testing out the treatment in a larger

study.

Another disagreement that arose during my research surrounded the cause of the disease

itself. Hashimoto’s disease is most commonly thought to be caused by a combination of age,

heredity, and sex according to the Mayo Clinic. After further research I found that a study from

the south of China believed these were not the only factors that contributed to the cause of the

disease. The study concluded “high iodine intake was likely to lead to the occurrence of thyroid

diseases, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis” (Zhao, 2014). Although this source was published in

2014, compared to the Mayo Clinic’s in 2020, I think it provides credible information since there

is a study with evidence to back up their claims. Since the results of the study revealed that

iodine has an impact on the likelihood of developing a thyroid condition it is safe to say iodine

intake plays a role in causing the disease.

Contrary to popular belief, the treatments discussed by Jeffrey Garber and Trevor Angell

aren’t the only viable treatment options for patients with Hashimoto’s disease. One of the

treatments mentioned is called levothyroxine replacement, which has a lot of misconceptions

surrounding it. Many patients believe hormone replacement is necessary in order to relieve them

of their symptoms. An alternative to this drug is a diet plan. Some of these diets include gluten-

free, dairy-free, sugar-free, or a combination of them all. Since there is no known cure for

Hashimoto’s disease most patients and their doctors focus on searching for treatments to relieve
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their symptoms. A lot of patients seek this out through non-medicinal routes, like a change in

their diet.

Through the research I’ve done so far, I believe that most treatments for Hashimoto’s

disease negatively affect the quality of life of patients suffering from the disease. I still want to

further my research by looking into the pros and cons of non-medicinal treatment options. After I

compare findings from patients using different treatments, I will be able to evaluate how

treatments for Hashimoto’s disease affect the quality of life of the patients.
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Works Cited

Angell, Trevor. “Thyroidectomy Improves Quality of Life and Fatigue in Patients

with Hashimoto's Disease and Persistent Symptoms Compared to Adequate Thyroid

Hormone Replacement.” Mary Ann Liebert Inc. Publishers, 8 May 2019,

www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ct.2019%3B31.178-181. Accessed 28 February 2020.

Djurovic, Marina. “Cognitive Functioning and Quality of Life in Patients with

Hashimoto Thyroiditis on Long-Term Levothyroxine Replacement.” Endocrine, U.S.

National Library of Medicine, October 2018, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29959689.

Accessed 27 February 2020.

Garber, Jeffrey. “Is There a Role for Surgery in Treating Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?”

Harvard Health Blog, 31 July 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-there-a-role-for-

surgery-in-treating-hashimotos-thyroiditis-2019081217443. Accessed 28 February 2020.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Hashimoto's Disease.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for

Medical Education and Research, 11 February 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-

conditions/hashimotos-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20351855?page=0&citems=10.

Accessed 26 February 2020.

Zhao, Hengqiang. “Correlation Between Iodine Intake and Thyroid Disorders: A

Cross-Sectional Study from the South of China.” Biological Trace Element Research,

vol. 162, no. 1–3, Dec. 2014, pp. 87–94. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12011-014-0102-9.

Accessed 28 February 2020.

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