A possible link between thyroid inflammation and anxiety disorders has been unveiled by a Ukrainian study presented at the online congress of the European Society of Endocrinology. A lead to another way of treating this mental disorder.
- A Ukrainian study draws a link between inflammation of the thyroid and anxiety disorders.
- An encouraging but incomplete result since, by the scientist’s own admission, this experiment must be extended by observing the role of other hormones that can also influence anxiety disorders.
Are anxiety and inflammation of the thyroid linked? This is the meaning of a Ukrainian study presented during of the 2020 e-congress of the European Society of Endocrinology. Doctor Juliya Onofriichuk, of the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital (Ukraine), assures that people with anxiety may also have inflammation of their thyroid gland. This can be relieved with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen. These results suggest that thyroid function may play an important role in the development of anxiety disorders and that thyroid inflammation should be investigated as an underlying factor in psychiatric disorders.
Anxiety and panic attacks
To reach this conclusion, Dr. Juliya Onofriichuk studied thyroid function in 56 adults, with an average age of about thirty years. His mixed cohort – 29 men and 27 women – suffers from diagnosed anxiety, including panic attacks. On ultrasound, the patients’ thyroid glands showed signs of inflammation without their functions being affected since the thyroid hormone levels were all within the normal range, and even slightly elevated. Other signs of this inflammation: antibodies directed against the thyroid have been identified. Gold after a 14-day treatment with ibuprofen and thyroxine – one of the hormones produced by the thyroid – reduced thyroid inflammation, normalized thyroid hormone levels and lowered their anxiety scores. “These results indicate that the endocrine system may play an important role in anxietyexplains Dr. Onofriichuk. Physicians should also consider the thyroid gland and the rest of the endocrine system, as well as the nervous system, when examining patients with anxiety.“
A trail of new anxiety care
Would it be enough to treat an inflammation of the thyroid to reduce anxiety? Not that easy. As the author of this study acknowledges, sex and adrenal hormones were not taken into account, yet these can also greatly influence anxiety. Dr. Juliya Onofriichuk plans to conduct further research considering thyroid, sex and adrenal hormone levels (cortisol, progesterone, prolactin, estrogen and testosterone) in patients with thyroid dysfunction and anxiety disorders. Thus, better understanding the role of the endocrine system in the development of anxiety could lead to better management of anxiety disorders.
Currently, nearly 35% of 25-60 year olds in developed countries suffer from an anxiety disorder. It can degrade the quality of life and the ability to work and socialize. But anti-anxiety drugs “do not always have a lasting effect” assures the European Society of Endocrinology. Current reviews of anxiety disorders generally focus on dysfunction of the nervous system and do not consider the role of the endocrine system. The thyroid gland produces the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine which are essential for the regulation of heart, muscle and digestive functions, brain development and bone maintenance. Autoimmune thyroid inflammation occurs when our body mistakenly produces antibodies that attack the gland and cause damage.
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