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Figure 5 : Comparison between a normal and enlarged thyroid.
Source: Cleveland Clinic. (2020).
What is an autoimmune disorder?
What is an autoimmune disorder?
In the case of an autoimmune disorder, the immune system fails to differentiate between healthy tissues and potentially harmful antigens, leading to a response that targets and damages normal body tissues.
There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disorders.
An autoimmune disorder may result in:
Abnormal growth of an organ
The destruction of body tissue
Changes in organ function
Who is at risk?
Who is at risk?
Hashimoto's disease is estimated to be 10-15 times higher in females (Lee, 2022). Although the condition can affect teenagers or young women, it often strikes women between the ages of 30 and 50. If you have family members who also suffer with Hashimoto's disease, your risk of having the condition rises (National Insitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2021). In general, thyroid disease is more common as people age (Mincer & Jialal, 2022).
Hashimoto's disease is more common in patients with pre-existing autoimmune disorders such as:
lupus, a chronic, or long-term, disorder that can affect many parts of the body
rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic, or long-term, discorder that can affect many parts of the body
celiac disease, a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine
type 1 diabetes, high blood sugar levels due to little or no insulin production
Sjögren's syndrome, a disease that causes dry eyes and mouth
(National Insitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2021).
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