Well.Not a scientist ..but I was reading today during ivig and saw that lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune thyroid disease cluster with mg.

Maybe not first degree related. .but interesting. Having my thyroid panels run tomorrow.

Good luck.

Multiple autoimmune syndrome has been described and reported in scientific literature (as well as wikipedia). MG is closely enough related to Hashimoto's that my first neurologist warned me to have thyroid tested every six months. Although autoimmune diseases are not strictly inherited, the tendency to acquire them is. Our physicians should be vigilant, especially regarding those who do have other autoimmune diseases in the family.

Here is just one link to MAS: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150011/
b.

Interesting enough I went into Drs this afternoon and he is retesting me for thyroid due to recent problems. Usually checks me yearly but its not been a year yet. My Mom has Hashimotos. When I read up on hyperthyroidism this evening it does specifically list MG as a risk factor. I'm hoping it explains why the increase in breathing problems and all the other things on the list that I was blaming on an MG flare. Just want to feel better. Sounds like all of us need to be checked at least yearly.

I was never warned that MG was a risk factor but I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2002 after more than 10 years insisting that there was something wrong with it. My doctors all said, "Well, I don't know what to say. Your labs are all normal so I can't find anything wrong." They were wrong. I would say that there is a close link between the two but obviously I can't prove that. There are several others here that have the same two conditions. Good luck to you.

Angie

Regarding Thyroid lab bloodwork, is there a "general" test they run that could indicate all levels are "normal", as opposed to more specific tests that would show problems?

I guess TSH is one of them, anybody know what the others are?

Thanks. Chris.

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is really only a screening test for thyroid problems. If it is too high, it means that your pituitary gland has sensed you don't have enough thyroid hormone circulating in your body, and if it is low, then too much thyroid hormone.
In my case, the free T4 and free T3 are better indicators. My TSH can be in perfect range, but if these are high or low, I have big problems. So I usually ask to have the entire panel done, because only TSH tells me nothing.
Autoimmune disease do tend to cluster together. So far my collection includes thyroiditis, Lems, Sjgren's syndrome, and Reynauds. I am thinking I still may have more that haven't been identified yet.
I do know from personal experience that when thyroid levels are out of whack you get way more Myasthenic symptoms.

I have Hasimotos - diagnosed a few months after my youngest was born. Currently I have a clinical diagnosis of MG.

I have Hashimoto's as well, but Thyroid levels are technically in normal range. However, I'm heading to see an endochronologist soon to have them looked closer at as I believe they are slightly off (you can still have symptoms when your levels are in normal range - everyone is different). My mother and sisters all have Thyroid disease, and I have some nodules that have been biopsied and were not cleared so I'm watching them carefully. I also have MG. I had a nasty bout of Ocular MG three years ago. It took me four months to be diagnosed, and when I finally started taking Mestinon it definately helped but I had to take large amounts, and then ended up on Prednisone (low dosage) for a while. I finally made the difficult decision to have my enlarged Thymus gland removed. I have a three inch nasty scar on my chest now, but after only one small relapse I am symptom free for the most part. My Ocular MG never moved into General MG, and I'll always wonder if I didn't get the Thymectomy would I be experiencing other symptoms beyond vision issues by now? It was a tough surgery but I would do it again in a heartbeat. If I had opted not to do it, I might still be taking 8 pills a day and experiencing horrible headaches and double vision... or worse, my symptoms could have spread to other areas. There was also the possibility that the surgery would not have helped, and there is always the chance I will relapse. For now I will just be very grateful that I seem to be in remission! As for Thyroid surgery, I am sure it is in my future.... my mother already has had her's removed and my sister is on medication. I will wait to make sure it is absolutely necessary for me before I take that step. Has anyone experienced any relief from autoimmune symptoms such as MG or Hypothyroidism by changing diet?? I have heard some links to gluten, but I wonder if it is all just speculation....

l had a Thyroid storm /thyrotoxicosis back in 2009 dx with mg 10 months later .l did the radioactive iodine thing July of that year.So now l'm graves.
Anyways you can have your T3 T4 and a reverse T3 test ,now l'm not really sure on the reverse T3 test works and don't get it done as regularly as just a normal test but l believe its more for graves disease.

On a side note most of the mothers in my ASD support group have thyroid problems.

I have no functioning thyroid tissue now. When I was diagnosed I had a T4 of less than 1 and a TSH of greater than 50. I'm now on full replacement dose of thyroxine (150 microgrammes a day).

I have two auto immune diseases that i am aware of, Hashimoto's and Raynauds. In our family going back generations women have Hashimoto's. Daughter has a thyroid nodule.

Also with my HAshimotots which started when I was 20 I only needed synthroid in the beginning. Then I started not converting T4 into T3 as well and I started taking a T3 medication BID. It is important to have T3 and T4 chekced periodically if you are having symptoms. T3 is actually the power house of the two and doctors normally only check the T4 routinely.

Hope this helps! Marie

In doing the CT scan for my thymus it was discovered i have nodules on my thyroid, which prompted, yet another scan, the nodules now need to be biopsied, the doctors assumption is hashimoto's but i don't have full information yet. Takes forever to get an appointment. lots of time to think/worry between appointments.. good times let me tell ya. Not sure what all that will mean, trying to stay focused on one challenge at a time.. todays agenda, get thru the day.. have appointments with surgeons for thymus, going to focus on that until the doctors can get me in.

I also have Raynaud's - started only a year or so ago - about the same time (give or take a few months) as my MG symptoms.

My thyroid nodule was discovered when they did the CT scan of my thymus. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's and MG basically at the same time.--Pat

As I mentioned in my previous response, I have both MG and Hashimoto's. The only way that I am aware of to check is your TSH, T4, T3, free T$ and T3, and anti-thyroid peroxidase and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies. You can also test your parathyroid levels which can cause many other issues for you. The anti-thyroid peroxidase and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies are how a diagnosis of the etiology (or cause of abnormal levels) can be determined. That is the typical way to diagnose Hashimoto's.

Something that you should understand is that if there are thyroid nodules present, you may be dealing with what I was going through. My thyroid tissue was putting out zero hormones however, the nodule that was present (the size of a tennis ball) was producing the hormones. That's why my levels were always normal upon testing. They had to remove the nodule in order to determine how much or how little my thyroid was producing on it's own. It turned out that it wasn't producing anything so I am now on Armour thyroid (a natural animal product because my body doesn't care for synthetic drugs much) which works on my T3 levels but does little for the T4 or TSH. I also take levothyroxine (Synthroid generic) to help with the T4 and TSH levels. I still have major symptoms of thyroid disease on a daily basis. Stiff joints, sore muscles, fatigue, brain fog and slow metabolism despite my hormone replacement. I was told after my left thyroidectomy that I can expect lifelong symptoms from the Hashimoto's because your thyroid is your energy center and also manages the health of your hair, nails, skin, and bowels. Sadly, I thought that he was being a bit cynical but it turns out he was right. That has been my experience but as others have said, we are all different. I truly hope that you don't find that to be the case for you. Feel free to send me a message if you want more information on my experience. I'm an open book and would love to share more if it will help others.
Aloha,
Angie