Thyroid and celiac disease: what is the link?

Those with celiac disease have a higher chance of having thyroid disorders.

Hypothyroidism and celiac disease affect different organs and it is not obvious to think that they are diseases somehow connected to each other.

If the first afflicts the thyroid gland, which works less than normal or stops working altogether, the second is a pathology of the intestine.

Despite the apparent diversity, recent research shows that those with celiac disease have a higher risk of being affected by hypothyroidism.

Autoimmune diseases and genetic factors

Hypothyroidism can be caused by several factors, including malfunctioning of the immune system. In some cases, in fact, this disease occurs as a consequence of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune inflammatory disease that determines the production of antibodies, which in turn prevent the proper functioning of the gland.

Celiac disease is also characterized by a problem of the immune system. In this case, the body reacts with the production of antibodies when gluten is introduced into the body through food: the consequence is inflammation in the small intestine, with damage to the intestinal wall.

But what causes the wrong activation of our defense mechanisms? To date, a clear answer is not yet available. However, more and more experts are convinced that genetic factors must play a key role.

In other words, some people develop these diseases because they are genetically predisposed. Although the role of the environment in which we live should not be overlooked, which in some cases can stimulate or block the appearance of certain diseases.

Of course, it is not possible to say that anyone who suffers from an autoimmune disorder of a certain type will automatically be affected by all disorders of the immune system. But, if genetics is key, it is possible that some pathologies have a common root and that, consequently, they occur together, in the same patient.

Symptoms in common?

Some typical symptoms of celiac disease are:

• swelling
• air in the belly
• depression and mood disorders, such as irritability
• constipation
• fatigue
• headache
• exhaustion.

Among these disorders, some are also common in hypothyroidism, such as:

• constipation
• exhaustion
• depression.

Those suffering from celiac disease should therefore be subjected, for safety, to tests for the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Conversely, patients with this overt disease may benefit from an examination to detect celiac disease.

Correct diagnosis improves therapy

For those suffering from reduced functioning of the thyroid gland, the presence of celiac disease could reduce the effectiveness of drug therapy.

Treatment with levothyroxine is based on the ingestion of a tablet, which is assimilated by the body when it reaches the intestine. In the case of a celiac patient, however, inflammation of the intestinal wall interferes with the correct absorption of food and, consequently, also of thyroid therapy.

In these cases, identifying celiac disease would allow the doctor to prescribe the patient a gluten-free diet, the only approach to treat this disease. By reducing inflammation in the intestine, thyroid drug therapy would also be absorbed by the body correctly.

While a gluten-free diet can improve the outcome of the treatment of hypothyroidism, the opposite is not true: the symptoms of celiac disease do not undergo any change with a drug therapy based on levothyroxine. However, for celiacs it is still essential to follow this diet with great care, regardless of whether they suffer from other disorders.