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Date: | Sun, 25 May 1997 14:17:07 -0400 |
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Regarding the issue of passing on thyroid disease in families, the
Thyroid Foundation has an article on congenital hypothyroidism.
http://www.clark.net/pub/tfa/vol10no4bridge.html
Says "40% of infants congenitally hypothyroid infants have either absent
or underdeveloped thyroid glands, and approximately 40% have
anatomically misplaced glands.
The remaining 20% have some type of functional defect that interferes
with normal thyroid hormone formation or secretion and is usually
familial in nature." (This seems to be the issue we're talking about)
Also from Thyroid Foundation
"There is also the issue of family history of autoimmune conditions.
Both hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease, and hypothyroidism due
to chronic (Hashimoto's) thyroiditis are members of a family of
autoimmune disorders. Just as antibodies may stimulate your thyroid to
overactivity or damage thyroid cells causing the thyroid gland to fail,
other bodies can produce diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pernicious
anemia, inflammatory bowel disease such as colitis and Crohn's disease,
the white skin spots of vitiligo, patchy hair loss (known as alopecia
areata), and prematurely grey hair (any grey hair before age 30). If you
or a close relative have one of these autoimmune disorders, call this to
your physician's attention. Since such disorders increase your risk for
a thyroid problem..."
Neither mentions it passing on maternally or paternally.
Mary
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