Hashimoto's Disease

Hashimoto’s disease (also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis) is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid, a small gland at the base of the neck.

With Hashimoto’s disease, the immune system makes antibodies that damage thyroid cells and interfere with their ability to make thyroid hormone. Over time, thyroid damage can cause hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). An underactive thyroid causes every function of the body to slow down, such as heart rate, brain function, and the rate your body turns food into energy. Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of an underactive thyroid. It is closely related to Graves’ disease, another autoimmune disease affecting the thyroid.

Hashimoto's disease is more common in women and usually shows up in middle age. It can also occur in men and women of any age and in children. 

Symptoms of an underactive thyroid include fatigue, weight gain, puffy face, voice changes, cold sensitivity, thinning hair, slow heart rate, and more.

A thyroid function test is used to help detect Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto’s disease responds well to treatment which involves replacement therapy with thyroid hormone.

Hashimoto’s disease is more common in women than in men. It usually shows up in middle age but it can occur in younger women. People who get Hashimoto’s disease often have family members who have thyroid or other autoimmune diseases. People who get Hashimoto’s disease sometimes have other autoimmune diseases, such as:

• Vitiligo — a disease that destroys the cells that give your skin its color
• Rheumatoid arthritis  — a disease that affects the lining of the joints throughout the body
• Addison’s disease — a disease that affects the adrenal glands, which make hormones that help your body respond to stress and regulate your blood pressure and water and salt balance
• Type 1 diabetes — a disease that causes blood sugar levels to be too high
• Graves’ disease — a disease that causes the thyroid to make too much thyroid hormone
• Pernicious anemia — a disease that keeps your body from absorbing vitamin B12 and making enough healthy red blood cells
• Lupus — a disease that can damage many parts of the body, such as the joints, skin, blood vessels, and other organs

Many factors are thought to play a role in getting Hashimoto’s disease. These include:

• Genes. Some people are prone to Hashimoto’s disease because of their genes. Researchers are working to find the gene or genes involved.
• Gender. Sex hormones also might play a role. This may help to explain why Hashimoto’s disease affects more women than men.
• Pregnancy. Some women have thyroid problems after having a baby, which usually go away. But about 20 percent of these women develop Hashimoto’s disease in later years. This suggests that pregnancy might trigger thyroid disease in some women.
• Too much iodine and some drugs may trigger the onset of thyroid disease in people prone to getting it.
• Radiation exposure has been shown to bring on autoimmune thyroid disease. This includes radiation from the atomic bomb in Japan, the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, and radiation treatment of Hodgkin’s disease (a type of blood cancer).

See your doctor for ongoing fatigue, unexplained weight gain, feeling cold, constipation, or dry skin and hair. A simple blood test can check your thyroid and guide treatment.