By Marcela Perez Bustamante, MD
What is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
It is an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. This means your body develops antibodies that can cause inflammation or damage to thyroid cells, and this can lead to difficulty making enough thyroid hormone and hypothyroidism.
Who is at risk?
In the United States, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often runs in families.
- It occurs most commonly in women, but it can also affect men.
- It is more common as you get older but can occur at any age, including children.
What are the symptoms?
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often progresses very slowly over many years. You may not have any symptoms, even if thyroid antibodies are detected in your blood tests.
- In some cases, inflammation can cause your thyroid gland to become bigger than normal (goiter), which may cause neck discomfort.
- Your thyroid gland may become underactive causing your thyroid hormone levels to be low. In that case you may experience symptoms including fatigue, constipation, abnormal weight gain, increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, etc.
How is the diagnosis made?
- Your health care provider will conduct a thorough physical exam, review your medical history and ask questions about your symptoms.
- They will order blood tests that may include TSH (Thyroid stimulating Hormones), Free T4 and antibodies with TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies).
How is it treated?
- If you have high thyroid antibody levels but normal thyroid function tests (TSH and Free T4), you do not require treatment with thyroid hormone.
- If you have only slightly elevated TSH (mild or subclinical hypothyroidism), you may or may not require medication right away.
- You may have your TSH level checked once or twice per year to see if you are developing clinical hypothyroidism.
- If you have clinical hypothyroidism (elevated TSH and low thyroid hormone levels), treatment with thyroid hormone replacement is indicated.
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis (lymphocytic thyroiditis). American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/hashimotos-thyroiditis