Written By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe | Updated : August 16, 2025 8:09 PM IST
Camilla Luddington, 41, who is best known for her role as Dr Jo Wilson on Grey's Anatomy, has recently opened up about her health, revealing she has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto's disease in her and co-star Jessica Capshaw's Call It What It Is podcast.
In the podcast, Luddington said, "Long as you've been listening to us, you've known that I joke about being slothy. Just a little slower. Slower, tired, wanna be in bed, love a nap. It never occurred to me that there could be a medical reason for that.
"I had all these plans, and I was like, you know what? I'm gonna get all my ducks in order in a row, whatever you say, and I'm gonna do my blood work and make sure everything's all good. And so I wanna say about two and a half months ago now, still very recent. Had blood work, and it came back. And my doctor was like, everything looks great except this one little thing," she explained.
"I remember hearing the words 'autoimmune disease' and thinking, 'What the f---?'," Luddington told her co-host. "And then being told that I had something called Hashimoto's hypothyroidism and that it was very common."
In the podcast, Luddington explains how the autoimmune disease suddenly attacks your thyroid gland and over time thyroid slows down, and doesn't produce enough hormone, leading to certain symptoms. She continued, "And what it can make you feel is tired and cold, which is really funny because Matt would make fun of me because I'd have, like, 40 blankets on me at night. It can make you foggy, depressed."
Hashimoto's disease is a very common autoimmune disorder that can cause hypothyroidism or an underactive thyroid. The National Institute of Health (NIH) explains, "The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. In people with Hashimoto's disease, the immune system makes antibodies that attack the thyroid gland.
"Large numbers of white blood cells, which are part of the immune system, build up in the thyroid. The thyroid becomes damaged and can't make enough thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones control how your body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body even the way your heart beats."
According to experts, many people do not have any signs at first. However, as the disease progresses gradually, an individual living with Hashimoto's disease may experience symptoms, such as fatigue, weight gain, trouble tolerating cold, joint and muscle pain, constipation, dry skin or dry, thinning hair, heavy or irregular menstrual periods or fertility problems and even slowed heart rate.
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