Gigi Hadid has revealed she has Hashimoto's Disease
Gigi Hadid has recently opened up about having Hashimoto’s disease, a common – but sometimes debilitating – thyroid condition.
Causing fatigue, weight gain and depression among other symptoms, according to Elle, the 21-year-old model has taken medication for it for two years.
But what actually is Hashimoto’s disease, and how would we be able to tell if we had it ourselves?
The thyroid
There are plenty of things that can go wrong with the thyroid: A butterfly-shaped gland found in the neck, it produces the hormones which control the body’s growth and metabolism as they’re released into the bloodstream.
You may have had a friend with an over-active thyroid, for example, which can cause nervousness, mood swings and weight loss.
But Gigi’s thyroid condition means that she has an under-active thyroid, which triggers a different set of symptoms.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Gigi’s Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition, which means that your body mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland, causing it to become slowly swollen and damaged.
And as it’s damaged it’ll produce insufficient amounts of the thyroid hormone, meaning the sufferer will experience symptoms of an under-active thyroid gland.
Treatment
Thankfully, an under-active thyroid can be treated by taking hormone replacement tablets – which don’t usually have any side effects.
So once you’ve put your finger on what’s wrong, you’ll most likely be able to do something about it.