How the Thyroid Gland Mystifies Doctors and Patients

About 25 years ago, Andy Miller learned he had hypothyroidism, a condition that afflicts millions of other Americans. Curious about how this condition was affecting others, the �鶹Ů�� Health News journalist interviewed endocrinologists who treat hypothyroidism and several patients who live with it. Their stories revealed how mystifying thyroid and autoimmune conditions can be.

This illustrated report has been adapted from a �鶹Ů�� Health News article, “Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care” by Andy Miller.

Illustrations by Oona Tempest.

Creative direction and editing by Hannah Norman, with additional editing by Sabriya Rice.

Copy editing by Terry Byrne.

�鶹Ů�� Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at �鶹Ů��—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

<h2>How the Thyroid Gland Mystifies Doctors and Patients</h2>
<div>	Oona Zenda and Andy Miller
		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2023-11-27T05:00:00-05:00">
			November 27, 2023		</time>
		</div>
About 25 years ago, Andy Miller learned he had hypothyroidism, a condition that afflicts millions of other Americans. Curious about how this condition was affecting others, the �鶹Ů�� Health News journalist interviewed endocrinologists who treat hypothyroidism and several patients who live with it. Their stories revealed how mystifying thyroid and autoimmune conditions can be.This illustrated report has been adapted from a �鶹Ů�� Health News article, “<a href="/news/article/autoimmune-disease-patients-diagnosis-hurdles-thyroid-hashimoto/">Many Autoimmune Disease Patients Struggle With Diagnosis, Costs, Inattentive Care</a>” by Andy Miller.Illustrations by Oona Tempest.Creative direction and editing by Hannah Norman, with additional editing by Sabriya Rice.Copy editing by Terry Byrne.<ul><li><a href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/?share=x">				Share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/?share=facebook">				Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/?share=linkedin">				Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20How%20the%20Thyroid%20Gland%20Mystifies%20Doctors%20and%20Patients&body=https%3A%2F%2Fkffhealthnews.org%2FMTc3MzI4Mw&share=email">				Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/">				Print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li><li>				<a href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/view/republish/">					Republish This Story				</a>			</li></ul><a href="/about-us">�鶹Ů�� Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at �鶹Ů��—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .<a href="/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to �鶹Ů�� Health News' free Morning Briefing.This <a target="_blank" href="/news/article/how-the-thyroid-gland-mystifies-doctors-and-patients/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="">�鶹Ů�� Health News</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/kffhealthnews-icon.png?w=150" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">
<img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="/?republication-pixel=true&post=1773283&amp;ga4=G-J74WWTKFM0" style="width:1px;height:1px;">

Some elements may be removed from this article due to republishing restrictions. If you have questions about available photos or other content, please contact NewsWeb@kff.org.

�鶹Ů��

More From �鶹Ů�� Health News