I have hypothyroidism, and my blood work had odd results...?

I've visited a specialist (an endocrynologist) and understand completly what he told me. He said I had an autoimmune disease and I wasn't sure if hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease in itself or not. He also said hashimoto (sp?) may have been the cause for my hypothyroidism.
He called me with the results of the blood work they did on me and said the couldn't find hashimoto, but found something odd. He said there are two types of antibodies in my blood and I was missing one of them completely. I didn't really understand the scientific talk, but I think one of the types of antibodies started with a "p" and that was the one I'm missing. What does that mean?! I'm not sure if I have an autoimmune disease or what caused it.

I'm just confused in general. If you could shed ANY light on this matter, it'd be greatly appreciated! I want to know more about the limited info he told me so that the next time I visit I know the questions to ask! Thanks!

I agree with asking your doctor. I think this is an example of too much information, too little explanation (note to self: stop doing that!)

Hypothyroidism is classified as an autoimmune disease if it is caused by the body's attacking the thyroid gland with its own antibodies. From what you have said, it sounds as if your doctor thinks you don't have the autoimmune type, or else that your tests for it have conflicting results.

It sounds as if he didn't get test the results he expected; maybe he jumped the gun a little in telling you that you had Hashimoto's (can easily happen if you have classic symptoms). Don't know what the "p" antibody might have been. Could it have been TSH (a hormone)? That would be unusual, but it's not an antibody. Possibly anti-TPO? Most people with Hashimoto's will have anti-TPO antibodies, so if these were negative, it might be surprising to him.

The endocrine system is very tricky. One must be highly trained to interpret thyroid test results, and like any test, they results are not perfect. The point is, hypothyroidism is very common and easily treated, but difficult even for people in medicine to understand. :)

Personally, I felt like H@LL when my thyroid was low, and it took MONTHS of waiting for test results and a referral before I could finally get that little pill that keeps me from feeling tired, depressed, even suicidal! (I am convinced the hypothyroidism happened because I was taking soy supplements, which have been linked with thyroid problems.)

The best thing to do is ask your Dr.

Hypothyroidism is a broad term, simply meaning that the thyroid functions are lower than normal. It may be due to many reasons, such as iodine deficiency, panhypopituitarism etc.
One of the causes is Hashimoto's disease that is an autoimmune disease.
The two types of antibodies found in Hashimoto's disease are-
antithyroid peroxidase antibody
antithyroglobulin antibody

Here is a good site for you-
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/...
And another-
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...
Good luck!

It sounds as though you didn't ask enough questions. I think your doctor would have been more than willing to explain anything that you didn't quite understand. Antibodies usually protect against infections. Hypothyroidism is low thyroid function. An autoimmune disease means that your system attacks itself. There are several types of autoimmune diseases, and hashimoto is one of them. Other types of autoimmune diseases are lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. So apparently there is a relationship between the lack of this particular antibody and your underactive thyroid. Your doctor can explain it to you in more detail, as each case is different. There are medications that will regulate your thyroid condition, so you need to follow up with your doctor. Good luck!