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Fatigued, Lack Of Concentration, Interest. White Spots On The Stomach And Back. Is It Associated To Thyroid?

Posted on Mon, 11 Jun 2012

Question: Hi Doc. My problem for the last few years has been with concentration / fatigued and most of the time I assumed I was just being lazy so tried waiting it out but recently the problem has been getting worse which has led me to search the net for a cure since our local doctors seem to simply associate feeling tired with a lack of motivation and loss of interest at work which I know is not the case. Just recently I discovered that I could have an underactive thyroid since one of my aunts was diagnosed with that years back and the symptoms look similar. Have done a thyroid profile and a liver function test (attached) I think that it can be assumed that I do in fact have hypothyroidism but your advise on this would be much appreciated since my search for a cure has left me exhausted. It should be known that over 15 years ago I developed white spots on my skin, mostly on my back and they remain to this day except that my back is now clear but I still have spots on my stomach and arms though not as many as before, could this be related? I also have a deviated septum.
Age; 25 years old, Height is 5ft 11in and weigh 71kg.
Thank you!

Answered by Dr. V. Kumaravel (4 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your query.

I do understand that you are a 25 year old male with fatigue and white spots on skin. your concern seems to be related to your thyroid status.

Skin problems are commonly associated with thyroid disease, but in your case the diagnosis of thyroid disease itself is questionable.your Free triodothyronine, thyroxine and TSH are well within the normal referance range and i feel you may not be having thyroid disease.

I would suggest you to get the white spots on the skin examined by a Dermatologist who can give insights into the cause which can help us to crack the cause for the symptoms you having.

Hope I have answered your query. If you have any follow up queries I will be available to answer them.

regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. V. Kumaravel (39 hours later)

Thanks Dr Kumaravel.

Well I have read that it could be an underactive thyroid since I pretty much fit the description while maybe I should also note that I suffered from severe constipation in my early years, sometimes not passing for a week but as for the last few years I seem to be fine in that sense. Since these symptoms develop over time could there be a connection?

I did check my skin many years ago with a Dermatologist who said it was a fungal infection and gave a anti-fungal soap treatment but that failed to work after which I ignored the problem and though it doesn't bother me much, a connection to my other problems looked possible.

You mention that my thyroid profile falls within the normal range, but doesn't it look to be in the lower range especially given my age?

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions :)

Much appreciated!

Answered by Dr. V. Kumaravel (4 hours later)

Hello.

Thanks for your reply.

I would totally agree with you that under active thyroid can present with symptoms like tiredness, constipation and skin changes, but your biochemical test is not in favor of under active thyroid.

Your free Triiodothyronine is 2.27pg/ml (Normal reference: 1.5 to 4.1), Free Thyroxine is 0.92ng/ml (Normal reference:0.89 to 1.76 ) and your TSH is 0.789 uIU/ml (Normal reference:0.4 to 4), all of them are well within the range.

You can have some symptoms, but when your blood tests are normal (Provided your lab is accurate), it implies that your thyroid functions are normal. In such case we have to figure out other causes that results in your skin changes.

I hope, I have answered query.

Wish you good health.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil

Follow up: Dr. V. Kumaravel (3 days later)

Thanks for your advise.

Possible that is could not be a problem with the thyroid but what else could give these similar symptoms? Sometime back I got a CORTISOL test done but seem to have misplaced the results though I remember that it was said to be LOW but unsure of whether it was in the low normal range, could there be a problem with my adrenal glands, I have read that fatigue can be a symptom?

Appreciate your help :)

Answered by Dr. V. Kumaravel (16 minutes later)

Hello,
Thanks for the follow up.

Adrenal gland secretes a hormone called cortisol. The adrenal secretion is tightly regulated by a hormone called ACTH (Adreno cortico tropic hormone) that is secreted from pituitary gland in the brain.

When your cortisol levels are low as in hypocortisolism, you can have tiredness and fatigue along with low BP, low sugars, weight loss, vomiting and many more.

The best way to assess your cortisol status is to assess your 8.00 am Serum cortisol level and also your ACTH levels .

Hope i had answered your query.

Wishing you good health.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Radhika