10. Impaired Cognitive Function: The Mental Fog
Cognitive changes, often described as brain fog, are another symptom associated with silent thyroiditis. The thyroid hormone plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy brain function, and any disturbances in its levels can affect cognition.
During the hyperthyroid phase, the excess thyroid hormone can cause symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, attention problems, or even memory lapses. You might find it hard to focus on tasks, get easily distracted, or forget things more frequently than usual.
As the disease progresses into the hypothyroid phase, these cognitive symptoms can change. Instead of the attention and memory problems seen in the hyperthyroid phase, you might experience slowness in thinking, difficulty with word retrieval, or problems with planning and organization.
These cognitive symptoms can be particularly distressing as they can affect your productivity and daily functioning. They can also be quite challenging to identify, as they can be mistakenly attributed to stress, lack of sleep, or aging. However, if these cognitive symptoms persist and are accompanied by other signs of silent thyroiditis, it’s essential to consider an underlying thyroid issue as a possible cause. (10)
