Nursing Care and Pathophysiology for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

To know whether or not a patient has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the doctor may order lab work. Anti-thyroid peroxidase levels will be high, showing that there are antibodies against the thyroid in the body. The thyroid stimulating hormones will be high as well from trying to overcompensate for the lack of thyroid hormones. Remember that the TSH is what tells the thyroid to make the thyroid hormones, so if they are low, more will be made. The thyroid hormones include T3 and T4 and will both be low. Alright guys, next let’s move on to exploring what the hormones do.

Thyroid hormones play a huge role with the metabolism in our body. The thyroid hormones actually bind to cell receptors and increase the breakdown of nutrients creation of energy. This helps our body regulate temperature so that we don’t get too cold. The thyroid hormones are needed for proper organ function. They affect the heart rate, GI motility, and neurological development. So if we have LESS thyroid hormone, these processes will be SLOWER. So the heart rate will be slower, our GI system will move slower, and it might become harder to think or rememer things.
So our patient that has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis might have an enlarged thyroid or goiter like this from the thyroid being attacked by the antibodies. Remember, everything is slowed down, so the patient will be tired, they might gain weight and feel cold because of the slower metabolism. Constipation can occur from that slowed GI motility. Less thyroid hormone results in decreased excretion of the skin glands, causing dry, coarse skin. The patient could present with myxedema where the skin looks swollen and puffy, usually around the eyes, hands, and feet. It’s important to also realize that these patients might not show these symptoms right away.