Hepatitis C Virus and Hashimoto’s Disease

What is Hepatitis C? The Hepatitis C Virus infects the liver and it can spread to other body tissues such as the thyroid gland. Once inside the thyroid gland, it multiplies and may cause Hashimoto’s disease. Hepatitis C has also been found to trigger arthritis, diabetes, autoimmunity to the liver, Sjogren’s syndrome, and autoimmunity to the kidney. Chronic infection of the liver causes liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer. What are the symptoms of Hepatitis C? This can be the tricky part because some people don’t have any symptoms. The virus could be silent for many years before you get symptoms. You could have Hepatitis C along with Hashimoto’s disease and not know it. The main symptoms include: Abdominal pain Yellowing of your skin and eyes (jaundice) Fatigue Fever Loss of appetite Swollen blood vessels that look like a web Nausea Rectal bleeding Bloating Fluid in your abdomen Confusion Drowsiness Slurred speech Weight loss Swelling in your legs Itchy skin Bruising and bleeding easily Dark-colored urine Muscle aches How do you get Hepatitis C and how is it tested? This virus is transmitted by sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, or sharing drug needles with someone who is infected. Antibody tests to Hepatitis C are readily available through most commercial labs such as Labcorp. One of the things I will see on blood testing is elevated liver enzymes including AST and ALT in Hepatitis C infection. I’ll also look at a CBC (complete blood count) which usually reveals elevated lymphocytes indicating viral infection. Inflammatory markers such as c-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate may also be elevated. The ANA (anti-nuclear antibody test) has been shown to be positive in up to 33% of cases. How does Hepatitis C trigger Hashimoto’s disease? At the time of this writing, the exact cause is unknown but there are a few different theories. These include triggering the immune system to attack thyroid cells when the Hepatitis C virus is actively infecting the thyroid gland. The immune system may be tricked into attacking thyroid cells instead of the virus. We do know that the Hepatitis C Virus can leave the liver via the bloodstream and infect the thyroid gland. It can remain there in a chronic state resulting in autoimmunity and inflammation in the thyroid gland. How is Hepatitis C treated? Interferon is the standard treatment but using interferon can actually trigger Hashimoto’s disease. It is recommended that patients with Hepatitis C be tested for thyroid antibodies prior to interferon treatment. Elevations in thyroid antibodies prior to interferon treatment are a big risk factor for developing Hashimoto’s disease. There are a number of natural agents that may work well for the Hepatitis C Virus.  These include: Elderberry Isatis Shisandra berry Licorice root Garlic Silver St. John's Wort Lactoferrin Zinc Another important factor is to focus on improving glutathione levels in the liver with the following: Whey protein NAC Milk thistle Selenomethionine Glycine Glutathione itself can be taken as a supplement in the liposomal or reduced form, but make sure it is a quality brand with good absorption. The other important factor is to help with “liver congestion” due to all the inflammation and damage the Hepatitis C virus does to the liver. These compounds can help: Dandelion Methionine Choline