Practical Practitioner

By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE

Stress can bring on Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome

Dear Pam,

I am plagued with symptoms of hypothyroidism, yet my blood tests always come back normal. I’ve been treated with antidepressants, diet pills, headache medications, fluid pills to no avail. My symptoms include: fatigue, headaches, PMS, irritability, fluid retention, anxiety, hair loss, depression, decreased memory and concentration, weight gain and constipation. I literally feel “half-dead.” Do you have any suggestions?

As a matter of fact, what you describe are listed as symptoms of Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome. Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome is a condition that causes symptoms characteristic of decreased thyroid system function.

This syndrome was first identified in 1990 by E. Denis Wilson, MD. It is a cluster of often debilitating symptoms especially brought on by significant physical or emotional stress that can persist even after the stress has passed (due to a maladaptive slowing of the metabolism).

It is characterized by a body temperature that runs, on average, below normal and routine thyroid blood tests are often in the “normal range.”

Signs and symptoms of Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome may include: fatigue, headaches and migraines, PMS, irritability, fluid retention, anxiety and panic attacks, hair loss, depression, decreased memory and concentration, low sex drive, unhealthy nails, low motivation and ambition, constipation, easy weight gain, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Dry Skin & Hair, acne, Insomnia, Hives, Asthma, allergies, brittle nails, slow healing, heat and/or cold intolerance, carpal tunnel syndrome and others.

Classically, Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome (WTS) sufferers are going along fine in their lives, and then they go through some major stress, develop symptoms of WTS and are never the same.

They often develop numerous burdensome complaints such as the ones you listed as well as others. This syndrome is especially brought on by stresses such as: childbirth, divorce, death of a loved one, job or family stress, surgery or accidents, excessive dieting and others.

Some people are more prone to developing Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome than others. Their symptoms may come on earlier in life and tend to worsen more gradually over time. Reportedly, those who are most prone to developing WTS are those whose ancestors survived famine, such as Irish, Scot, Welsh, American Indian, Russian etc. Most susceptible of all seem to be those who are part Irish and part American Indian. But under severe circumstances people of any nationality can develop this syndrome. Women account for 80 percent of those suffering from WTS.

According to Dr. Wilson, the efficiency of all the chemical reactions taking place in your body vitally depends on your body temperature. These chemical reactions depend on properly functioning enzymes to take place as they should. How an enzyme functions depends on its temperature as well as its structure. For the body’s enzymes to work at peak efficiency the body temperature has to be just right.

If you think you may be suffering from Wilson Thyroid Syndrome, it is recommended that you take your temperature, by mouth, with a thermometer every three hours, three times a day, starting three hours after waking, for several days (not the three days prior to menstruation since it’s higher then.) For each day add the temperatures together and divide by three to get the average.

This literature points out that thyroid blood tests aren’t always conclusive, because thyroid hormones do not have their action in the bloodstream but in each cell of the body – which can’t be measured directly. Many people’s low thyroid symptoms respond predictably and reproducibly well to their body temperature patterns being raised close to 98.6 degrees (on average) using a sustained-release T3 hormone every 12 hours.

Frequently, the patient’s symptoms resolve and remain resolved even after the treatment has been discontinued. More and more clinicians are recognizing and treating Wilson’s Thyroid Syndrome. The theory behind Wilsons Thyroid Syndrome is well supported by information available in the medical literature.

This article was originally published June 24, 2002 in The St. Tammany News.

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