What is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the thyroid so that it Cannot function properly?

Q: What autoimmune disease attacks your thyroid?

Hashimotos disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck just below the Adams apple. The thyroid produces hormones that help regulate many functions in the body.

Q: What is the auto immune disease called for hyperthyroidism?

Graves disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. Thyroid hormones control the way your body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even the way your heart beats.

Q: Why is it called Hashimotos disease?

Its named after the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912, and is sometimes also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis. Its an autoimmune disease, which means that its caused when something goes wrong with your immune system.

Overview

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck just below the Adam's apple. The thyroid produces hormones that help regulate many functions in the body.

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

When to see a doctor
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Risk factors
Complications
Products & Services
What autoimmune disease attacks your thyroid?
What is the auto immune disease called for hyperthyroidism?
What is the thyroid disease called?
Why is it called Hashimoto's disease?

An autoimmune disorder is an illness caused by the immune system attacking healthy tissues. In Hashimoto's disease, immune-system cells lead to the death of the thyroid's hormone-producing cells. The disease usually results in a decline in hormone production (hypothyroidism).

Although anyone can develop Hashimoto's disease, it's most common among middle-aged women. The primary treatment is thyroid hormone replacement.

Hashimoto's disease is also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and chronic autoimmune thyroiditis.

Symptoms

Hashimoto's disease progresses slowly over the years. You may not notice signs or symptoms of the disease. Eventually, the decline in thyroid hormone production can result in any of the following:

Fatigue and sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Increased sleepiness
Dry skin
Constipation
Muscle weakness
Muscle aches, tenderness and stiffness
Joint pain and stiffness
Irregular or excessive menstrual bleeding
Depression
Problems with memory or concentration
Swelling of the thyroid (goiter)
A puffy face
Brittle nails
Hair loss
Enlargement of the tongue

When to see a doctor

Signs and symptoms of Hashimoto's disease vary widely and are not specific to the disorder. Because these symptoms could result from any number of disorders, it's important to see your health care provider as soon as possible for a timely and accurate diagnosis.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Causes

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder. The immune system creates antibodies that attack thyroid cells as if they were bacteria, viruses or some other foreign body. The immune system wrongly enlists disease-fighting agents that damage cells and lead to cell death.

What causes the immune system to attack thyroid cells is not clear. The onset of disease may be related to:

Genetic factors
Environmental triggers, such as infection, stress or radiation exposure
Interactions between environmental and genetic factors

Risk factors

The following factors are associated with an increased risk of Hashimoto's disease:

Sex. Women are much more likely to get Hashimoto's disease.
Age. Hashimoto's disease can occur at any age but more commonly occurs during middle age.
Other autoimmune disease. Having another autoimmune disease — such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes or lupus — increases your risk of developing Hashimoto's disease.
Genetics and family history. You're at higher risk for Hashimoto's disease if others in your family have thyroid disorders or other autoimmune diseases.
Pregnancy. Typical changes in immune function during pregnancy may be a factor in Hashimoto's disease that begins after pregnancy.
Excessive iodine intake. Too much iodine in the diet may function as a trigger among people already at risk for Hashimoto's disease.
Radiation exposure. People exposed to excessive levels of environmental radiation are more prone to Hashimoto's disease.

Complications

Thyroid hormones are essential for the healthy function of many body systems. Therefore, when Hashimoto's disease and hypothyroidism are left untreated, many complications can occur. These include:

Goiter. A goiter is enlargement of the thyroid. As thyroid hormone production declines due to Hashimoto's disease, the thyroid receives signals from the pituitary gland to make more. This cycle may result in a goiter. It's generally not uncomfortable, but a large goiter can affect your appearance and may interfere with swallowing or breathing.
Heart problems. Hypothyroidism can result in poor heart function, an enlarged heart and irregular heartbeats. It can also result in high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — that is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and heart failure.
Mental health issues. Depression or other mental health disorders may occur early in Hashimoto's disease and may become more severe over time.
Sexual and reproductive dysfunction. In women, hypothyroidism can result in a reduced sexual desire (libido), an inability to ovulate, and irregular and excessive menstrual bleeding. Men with hypothyroidism may have a reduced libido, erectile dysfunction and a lowered sperm count.
Poor pregnancy outcomes. Hypothyroidism during pregnancy may increase the risk of a miscarriage or preterm birth. Babies born to women with untreated hypothyroidism are at risk for decreased intellectual abilities, autism, speech delays and other developmental disorders.
Myxedema (miks-uh-DEE-muh). This rare, life-threatening condition can develop due to long-term, severe, untreated hypothyroidism. Its signs and symptoms include drowsiness followed by profound lethargy and unconsciousness. A myxedema coma may be triggered by exposure to cold, sedatives, infection or other stress on your body. Myxedema requires immediate emergency medical treatment.

Jan. 15, 2022

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (lymphocytic thyroiditis). American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/hashimotos-thyroiditis/. Accessed Oct. 19, 2021.
Davies TF. Pathogenesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (chronic autoimmune thyroiditis). https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed Oct. 19, 2021.
Hypothyroidism (underactive). American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/hypothyroidism/. Accessed Sept. 28, 2021.
Melmed S, et al. Hypothyroidism and thyroiditis. In: Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 19, 2021.
Ralli M, et al. Hashimoto's thyroiditis: An update on pathogenic mechanisms, diagnostic protocols, therapeutic strategies, and potential malignant transformation. Autoimmunity Reviews. 2020; doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2020.102649.
Goiter. American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/goiter/. Accessed Sept. 28, 2021.
Lee SY, et al. Testing, monitoring, and treatment of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2021; doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa945.
Thyroid function tests. American Thyroid Association. https://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-function-tests/. Accessed Sept. 28, 2021.
Thyroid hormone treatment. American Thyroid Association. http://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-hormone-treatment/ Accessed Oct. 19, 2021.
Goldman L, et al., eds. Thyroid. In: Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Elsevier; 2020. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Oct. 27, 2021.

Products & Services

What autoimmune disease attacks your thyroid?

What is the auto immune disease called for hyperthyroidism?

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. Thyroid hormones control the way your body uses energy, so they affect nearly every organ in your body, even the way your heart beats.

What is the thyroid disease called?

Hypothyroidism results when the thyroid gland fails to produce enough hormones. Hypothyroidism may be due to a number of factors, including: Autoimmune disease. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disorder known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Why is it called Hashimoto's disease?

It's named after the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912, and is sometimes also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis. It's an autoimmune disease, which means that it's caused when something goes wrong with your immune system.