It may seem surprising that your allergies could have anything to do withautoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).
Both conditions, however, are due to similar immune responses.
This may be helpful to know if you’re having trouble managing yourhay feversymptoms.
Verywell / JR Bee
It might even be a good idea to getevaluated for a thyroid condition.
This article discusses hay fever and its relationship to AITD.
It also discusses symptoms and treatment considerations.
Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis
Hay fever is also called allergicrhinitis.
This is why symptoms occur in these areas.
Perennial allergies occur year-round.
Recap
Symptoms of allergic rhinitis include sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and sinus headache.
You may have these symptoms only at certain times of the year or year-round.
A 2015 study looked at 2,000 people with allergic rhinitis.
It found that more than 16% of them hadHashimoto’s thyroiditis.
This autoimmune condition is the leading cause ofhypothyroidism, or low thyroid function.
This is significant because only around 1.5% of people in the general population have Hashimoto’s disease.
Research has also found a link between allergic rhinitis andGraves' disease.
Grave’s disease is the leading cause ofhyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid.
Some studies have found associations between AITD and hay fever.
Compared to people in the general population, people with AITD are more likely to also have allergies.
The package inserts of these drugs sometimes say theyshouldn’t be taken by people with thyroid disease.
This is because people with thyroid disease may be over sensitive to certain side effects.
For example, decongestants may cause tremors or nervousness in people with high thyroid hormone levels.
In people with low thyroid hormone levels, the drowsy effect of antihistamines may be increased.
If your hormone levels are well managed, these side effects aren’t likely.
Other medications that treat allergic rhinitis aren’t known to be a problem for people with AITD.
These include:
These drugs aren’t known to react with thyroid medications, either.
The synthetic thyroid hormone Synthroid (levothyroxine) is used to treat Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism.
People with AITDs may have worsened side effects to common drugs used to treat allergies.
The antithyroid medications used to treat Graves' disease aren’t known to interact with allergy drugs.
Be careful with allergy medication if you have an AITD.
Some side effects may be worse in people with AITDs.
2015;6:306. doi:10.4172/2155-9899.1000306
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Hay fever.
