hypothyroidism or viral infection?

[Annie_777]

Hi, I'm 34 year old female, normal weight and clear medical history until recently.  The following is just a non-exhaustive list of the problems that I've had or been diagonsed with in the past 6-12 months:
- 20 lbs weight gain within 1 year;
- hair loss and splits/breaks;
- fatigue;
- forgetfulness;
- high cholesterol (total 327, LDL 210);
- acnes (first ever onset);
costochodritis in early May 2011;
- unexplained high fever (102-103F) with no other symptoms in late May 2011;
- hay fever in mid-June 2011;
- cellulitis in mid-August 2011;
- low-grade fever with swollen lymph nodes and neck pain ongoing with low WBC (at 3.4)

This is very abnormal for me and very troubling.  Could there be some other underlying cause for these problems?  (like hypothyroidism? Vitamin deficiency? Amenia? Viral infection? ....)

[Red_Star]

Optimal vitamin B12 levels are over 800pg/mL or 600pmol/L. Testing for thyroid conditions needs to include free T3, free T4 and thyroid antibodies TPOAb and TgAb for a better picture of your thyroid health. You may not a thyroid condition however but the TSH is not accurate enough and you can be misdiagnosed with this single test.

Taking statin drugs are dangerous due to depletion of CoQenzyme10. Lowering CoQ10 leads to conditions such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbances, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, shortness of breath, memory loss, liver problems, muscle weakness, muscle pain, peripheral neuropathy, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure.

Recent studies have shown no reductions in death in people over the age of 65 or people with no existing heart disease on statins (regardless of how much their cholesterol was lowered) and no benefit at all in women of any age.

Much of the advertising with statins describe a 36% risk reduction in heart attacks. This is a relative risk reduction. The absolute risk reduction is a decrease from a 3% risk to a 2% risk. In practical terms, this means that in men under the age of 65 with pre-existing heart disease, 100 have to take a statin for 3 years to prevent 1 heart attack.  The small reductions in death in men under 65 with pre-existing heart disease was independent of cholesterol reduction and was almost certainly due to their anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation and oxidation causes heart disease.

A low BUN value may be caused by a diet very low in protein, malnutrition, or severe liver damage. Drinking excessive amounts of liquid may cause overhydration and cause a low BUN value.

A low BUN-to-creatinine ratio may be caused by a diet low in protein, a severe muscle injury called rhabdomyolysis (can be caused by statin drugs), pregnancy, cirrhosis, or syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). SIADH sometimes occurs with lung disease, cancer, diseases of the central nervous system, and the use of certain medicines.

[Annie_777]

Hi, my blood test results came back today. TSH is normal at .99, and so is B12 level 478.  However, my 3-day average morning BBT has been 36.6 and my electrolytes level are borderline low across the board.  And my BUN and BUN:Cr are also low.  WBC still low and cholesterol still high. Currently taking Pravachol.  No matter what I eat and how much I exercise, I cannot seem to control the symptoms of fatigue and massive body aches.  Does this still look like hypothyroidism?

[Red_Star]

Cholesterol rises to protect the body from harm eg: transfats, mercury, fungal infections. Besides this, thyroid hormone is necessary for the healthy metabolism of cholesterol so low thyroid hormone will cause cholesterol levels to rise. With your other symptoms, the most likely cause of your high cholesterol is hypothyroidism. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (autoimmune hypothyroidism) which is confirmed by testing thyroid antibodies.

You can develop costochodritis with hypothyroidism. Some authors have noted that cellulitis is common in hypothyroid conditions and responds well to thyroid treatment. Hypothyroid patients may experience new or worsened food sensitivities or allergies such as hay fever or problems with caffeine or alcohol.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is a very common deficiency state with hypothyroidism due to insufficient stomach acid. Symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency include fatigue, memory problems, hair loss, low grade fever, lymph node swelling, and low WBC.  You may also have a bacterial or viral infection as well.

[Sue9510]

You have a large variation of symptoms listed, some do and some don't really connect to make sense.  To help you answer your question, yes hypothyroidism could be a possibility as well as a couple others you listed, although I would have thought surely your physician would have already checked those tests with your prior lab work, no?
Need a lot more information............