Is thyroid disease a cause of Alzheimer's?

[AndiC]

I have just read this article and got a bit worried "Alzheimer's disease, the thyroid and the brain" on holtorfmed.com (I can't post the link unfortunately). I have a recently diagnosed underactive thyroid for which I am being treated and my mother has Alzheimer's - is there a link? Does mum infact have Alzheimers or an underactive thryoid? Am I going to get Alzheimers? Goodness me, my mind is racing.

I have just asked the person who cares for my mum to ask the Doctor for a TSH blood test. Wouldn't it be awful if she has been on medication for Alzheimers all this time when in fact it was her thyroid.

Has anyone else heard of this? Does anyone know of this? Has anyone been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and also suffers from an underactive thyroid? As you can probably tell, I'm worried!

 

[Soobee]

I know that thyroid issues can cause memory problems but I haven't read that there is any relationship to thyroid issues leading to a form of dementia. I would have thought that if there was enough evidence that there is a link then it would have been published.

 

[Amy in the US]

Disclaimer: not a medical professional and you should seek medical advice rather than Dr Google, but for what it's worth, no, I am not aware that thyroid disease is a cause of, or risk factor for, any type of dementia. I may be wrong, but I'm not aware of that.

I do know that untreated or uncontrolled thyroid issues can cause memory loss, confusion, and behavior/personality changes and can therefore look like dementia. So can some vitamin deficiencies and other conditions like hydrocephalus, which is why it's a good idea to get checked out when there is suspected memory loss or dementia.

That's all I can help with and if there are concerns about a thyroid issue, I'd advise you speak to your GP and/or endocrinologist. Best wishes.

 

[AndiC]

Thank you both. I have to have fairly regular blood tests for the TSH levels so next time I go to see my lovely Doctor I will ask her what she thinks. Yes, Dr. Google indeed ha ha!! You could certainly end up with lots of illnesses if you believed everything you read. I will rest assured by your replies and speak to a "human" Doctor!!

 

[lemonjuice]

Certailny 'thyroid disease' is one of the first things to be checked, if dementia is suspected as symptoms can be quite similar.

My mother had an underactive thyroid thyroid, however I don't think there is a direct link to having thyroid disease and the development of dementia. Certainly not with her vascular dementia, which caused the brain damage with lack of oxygen as a result of her heart ischemia.​

 

[LynneMcV]

I've been on thyroid medication about four years now.

Before I was diagnosed with this condition I was convinced I had dementia due to the things I was doing and things I was no longer able to do. Once I was treated for an underactive thyroid and extremely low Vitamin D levels (caused by the underactive thyroid) I was quickly back to normal and have been fine ever since.

I have never been advised by the GP that this condition puts me at a greater risk of developing dementia, especially as the condition is well under control.

My husband, on the other hand, does have dementia. Before he was diagnosed he was put through a whole raft of tests to rule out other causes of his symptoms, and those tests included blood tests which would have picked up anything like thyroid issues or vitamin deficiencies.

I suspect these tests are fairly standard in the process of diagnosis, so I would think your mother was also checked in the same way before a diagnosis was reached.

I am glad that your thyroid condition has been picked up, it certainly makes a big difference once it is under control

 

[Saffie]

No, no connection.
My aunt died when she was 90 having suffered from hypothyroidism for over 50 years and her mind was as sharp as a bell when she died.
My daughter has suffered similarly for over 20years.
My FiL has low thyroid as an older man and had no memory problems at all.
Please don’t worry.

 

[Kevinl]

If you draw the venn diagram you'll always find someone with multiple overlapping conditions be it Parkinson's, MS or just ingrowing toe nails there's bound to be people with both but coincidence doesn't prove causality. Italy has a problem with organised crime, Italians eat a lot of pasta so does eating pasta cause organised crime?
My wife did have an underactive thyroid and for a couple of years this was seen to be the cause of her memory issues and the true cause of very early onset AZ (from about when she was 50) was never looked into until it became so obvious that there was much more wrong with her than an underactive thyroid.
There's a link to the article concerned below, the bit that interested me was "This study presented a great deal of interesting data, but of primary interest was the association that was discovered between TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels and the risk of Alzheimer’s in women. Data suggests that women who fall outside a specific TSH level are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This relationship was not reflected in male participants."
So it's only women who are at risk if they have a thyroid issue? Strange I thought.
K
https://www.holtorfmed.com/alzheimers-disease-the-thyroid-and-the-brain/

 

[nicoise]

I have been treated for an inherited thyroid problem for 24 years now. It has never once been suggested to me, nor have I read or heard of anyone developing Alzheimer’s or any other dementia as a result, and I do keep up with research about it.

Both sides of my family have thyroid issues, but only one case of dementia that I know of.

My mother had Graves disease, as I do, and went on to develop Lewy Body dementia; but she had Parkinson’s Disease, so that didn’t really come as any surprise. No one else in her family line historically had ever had Parkinson’s.

I have read the article you refer to, and whilst it says there are connections with TSH levels and APP:

One hypothesis is that as a regulator of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), a gene that may be partly responsible for inducing Alzheimer’s, TSH levels may have a direct impact on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s. Improper regulation of APP due to exceptionally high or low TSH levels could lead to this neurodegenerative disease.

it doesn’t go on to say that there have been any referenced research studies or papers published that go on to make a definite connection to date after the original study of 2000 people over 13 years published in 2008. As to future findings, who knows?

I’d echo other posters’ advice to ask your GP about this article and raise your concerns about your mother when you next visit.

 

[Saffie]

If you draw the venn diagram you'll always find someone with multiple overlapping conditions be it Parkinson's, MS or just ingrowing toe nails there's bound to be people with both but coincidence doesn't prove causality. Italy has a problem with organised crime, Italians eat a lot of pasta so does eating pasta cause organised crime?
My wife did have an underactive thyroid and for a couple of years this was seen to be the cause of her memory issues and the true cause of very early onset AZ (from about when she was 50) was never looked into until it became so obvious that there was much more wrong with her than an underactive thyroid.
There's a link to the article concerned below, the bit that interested me was "This study presented a great deal of interesting data, but of primary interest was the association that was discovered between TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels and the risk of Alzheimer’s in women. Data suggests that women who fall outside a specific TSH level are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. This relationship was not reflected in male participants."
So it's only women who are at risk if they have a thyroid issue? Strange I thought.8
K
https://www.holtorfmed.com/alzheimers-disease-the-thyroid-and-the-brain/

Interesting article but not conclusive.

 

[Peachez]

Of course it's possible to have both conditions, but that does not mean cause and effect. My mother died aged 83 , having been on thyroid medication for a very long time, and she was sharp as a tack!
I have also been on thyroxine since 1992. I've never heard of a link.