Causes
Hashimoto's thyroiditis occurs when:
- Immune system produces antibodies that attack cells of the thyroid gland, causing chronic thyroid swelling and loss of function
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Other causes:
- Idiopathic thyroid atrophy—destruction of thyroid tissue for unknown reasons
- Iodine deficiency—when a thyroid gland needs iodine to produce thyroid hormone (rare in the US)
- Subacute thyroiditis—following a viral upper respiratory tract infection
- Medical treatments— radiation to the head and neck or surgical removal of part of the thyroid gland (called subtotal thyroidectomy )
- Medications (eg, lithium , iodine, alpha-interferons, thiourea, amiodarone , interleukins)
- Certain diseases (eg, cancer or infection)
- Pituitary adenoma —benign tumor of the pituitary gland
Risk Factors
These factors increase your chance of developing hypothyroidism:
Risk factors include:
- Age: risk increases with age, especially over 65 years old
- Sex: more common in females
- Genetics: multiglandular autoimmune syndrome
- Ethnicity: Caucasian, Hispanic
- History of family members with hypothyroidism
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History of other autoimmune diseases:
- Pernicious anemia
- Type 1 diabetes
- Underactive adrenal or parathyroid glands
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
Tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors.
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