Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, or: Hashimoto’s disease, is a chronic autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland leading to symptoms of hypothyroidism, e.g. weight gain, depression, sensitivity to heat and cold, paresthesia, fatigue, muscle weakness, memory loss, infertility and hair loss.
It may occur in people with a family history of thyroid diseases or with other autoimmune diseases, especially diabetes type 1 or reduced adrenal gland function. It is the most common form of thyroiditis and most frequent cause of decreased thyroid gland function. Detection of autoantibodies is used for the clinical diagnosis of the disease.
Laboratory tests used to diagnose the disorder: test for autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and/or thyroglobulin, in addition to thyroid function tests (e.g., TSH, T4, T3).
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