10 signs your feet are warning you about a thyroid problem
Snuggled in a fluffy white bathrobe in an upscale spa, I was waiting to have my feet pampered with a deluxe pedicure as the basin was filling with warm, fragrant water.
“Your feet are extremely dry with thick, hardened skin on your heels that have deep cracks. I see feet like this in women with sickness,” the woman remarked, a little too loudly, inspecting my feet at close range.
“What type of sickness?” I whispered, feeling very embarrassed as people in the crowded spa turned to gawk at my feet.
“You should see your doctor about your feet.”
This woman giving me a pedicure could see as plain as day the signs of a serious health condition right there in my feet, but it would take 10 more years to finally receive my formal diagnosis: severe hypothyroidism.
1. Dry, flaky, cracked feet with calluses
In 2012, a study was designed to identify the cutaneous (skin) manifestations of hypothyroidism, an under-active thyroid. Of the four hundred and sixty diagnosed cases of hypothyroidism, 300 patients (65.22%) presented with dry, coarse skin. In another study that same year, 100% of subjects with hypothyroidism had coarse, rough, dry skin. Palmoplantar keratoderma, found in 33%, is a term that refers to a group of skin conditions with marked thickening of the skin in the soles of the feet and palms of the hands. Hyperthyroidism, over-active thyroid, due to the autoimmune condition Graves’ disease may also present with thickened dermis. While it may seem contradictory, it is often the case that some symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism present the same.
“That’s not your thyroid.”
“You’re just getting older.”
“It’s all in your head.”
Sound familiar?
Even if you try to explain these symptoms to most doctors, they will shrug them off as having nothing to do with your thyroid. But I knew deep in my gut that there was a connection. And you do too.
Get a second, third, even ten medical opinions until you find the one that gets it.
2. Itchy feet
Pruritus is the medical term for itchy skin. Chronic pruritus can present in both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Itchiness can happen all over the body not just the feet, including the legs, scalp, and even the genitalia. In the case of hypothyroidism, it may be that the very dry skin is the cause of the itchiness. Researchers suggest that pruritus and even chronic urticaria (chronic hives) may be associated with thyroid autoimmunity, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease (Graves’ disease is the term used in the United States and the term Basedow’s disease is more commonly used in Europe. When you develop one autoimmune condition, you are more vulnerable to develop multiple autoimmune conditions. It is, therefore, important to mention that the Cleveland Clinic lists several autoimmune conditions associated with chronic pruritus including Sjögren’s (SHOW-grins) syndrome, lichen planus, and psoriasis.
3. Cold feet
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