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View Poll Results: Along with my ADHD... | ||||||
I have one or more other physical illnesses/diseases |
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2 | 100.00% | |||
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I have hypo-/hyperthyroidism, &/or thyroid antibodies |
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2 | 100.00% | |||
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I have (or have had) a nutrient deficiency (such as iron, vitamin D, etc.) |
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2 | 100.00% | |||
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I'm not sure but I suspect one or more of these might be the case (explain in thread) |
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0 | 0% | |||
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Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 2. You may not vote on this poll |
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#1
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I've seen hypothyroidism's effects on (or possibly as a physical cause for) ADHD mentioned in a few places before (and suspect I'm living it myself). Just recently it also came up again in my Caffeine & Energy Levels thread too, so I'm making a poll. I realize however that thyroid issues specifically are going to be somewhat rare (though I suspect not as rare as in the general population) so I'm expanding this to all physical illnesses with potential to impact brain function.
So the basic question is: Do you happen to have (or suspect you have) physical health issues that impact on your ADHD? If you're not sure about the other options, then simply don't answer them; just comment here in the thread. ![]() Some interesting reading for those who do have, suspect they have, or just want to learn more about the possible ADHD/hypothyroidism angle:
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#2
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I have ADD and I've had it long before I developed things like hypothyroid and deficiencies. I can't actually say my ADD got worse with physical illness. I actually think I would be more hyper if I was healthy, now it has to stay inside my head because I'm tired from being ill.
I think there is another type of connection, autoimmunity and neuropsych issues are connected genetically, no doubt about it. |
#3
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I jumped to making this poll way too quickly. I should have included an option for *no* physical illnesses, and an option for knowledge that one's mother has had thyroid health issues in the past...
Quote:
I also suspect the researchers are onto something with looking at thyroid antibodies in expectant and nursing mothers. With TSH they only get part of the picture ("girls" but not "boys" do show a correlation for combined/inattentive type ADHD) but with looking at thyroid antibodies (known as "TPOAbs"), they seem to find a stronger correlation across the board (see quote below). Remember that in areas of the world where iodine is easy to obtain, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is the number one cause for hypothyroidism, and Graves Disease is the number one cause of hyperthyroidism... and that both are autoimmune disorders. Since so many people are "subclinically" hypothyroid, they rarely get an actual diagnosis. Meanwhile, recent study data seem to show that even subclinical hypothyroidism could be enough to influence child neural development. I know it's only one study, but just to illustrate what I'm talking about, here's a quote from the 3139 child/parent pair Generation R Study's conclusions: Quote:
more to say but I have to go! |
#4
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Well, then my symptoms were so subtle they did not exist. I was not the least overweight as a child, no brittle hair no nothing. I still had ADD. Also I have several friends with OTHER autoimmunity AND ADD/ADHD and they don't have thyroid problems. I think ADD is more complex than thyroid stuff.
My mom, who also has ADD, had hyperthyroid, but she was fine until I was 10 years old. |
#5
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ADHD symptoms are far more noticeable (despite being missed as often as they are). *Subclinical* thyroid hormone fluctuations in childhood would lead to symptoms as subtle as crowded teeth, repeated cavities despite good oral care, or a shorter than expected height. Nobody sees these things and thinks "thyroid imbalance!" because it doesn't have an immediate impact on quality of life and so doctors aren't on the watch for it. But since it's a progressive disease, eventually the more well-known symptoms catch up with you as well.
Anyway as the theory goes, it's a person's mother having untreated thyroid disease during pregnancy that would lead to ADHD in those with the genetic predisposition for it. You still have to have the genes for ADHD in the first place, in order for them to be expressed. (Incidentally thyroid hormone is *also* a regulator of gene expression.) So I'm not trying to say all cases of ADHD are caused by thyroid hormone imbalance or that mothers with untreated thyroid imbalance will always have ADHD kids. Just saying there appears to be quite a case brewing for it to be a significant contributor. |
#6
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I was one of the tallest in my class. My friends who have ADHD, their mothers do not have thyroid issues but one has other autoimmunity.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for good thyroid health. |
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