What is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

What is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Autoimmune disease causing deficient thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism).
• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: progressive enlargement of the thyroid gland, often associated with hypothyroidism.
  Source - Diseases Database

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, or a subtype of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Hashimoto's Thyroiditis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

Name and Aliases of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Main name of condition: Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Hashimoto's disease, Hashimoto struma, lymphadenoid goiter, chronic lymphadenoid syndrome, struma lymphomatosa, chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, autoimmune thyroiditis, Hashimoto syndrome, Hashimoto disease, Thyroiditis, Chronic, Hashimoto's Struma

Struma lymphomatosa Source - Diseases Database

Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis, Hashimoto's Disease, Hashimoto's Struma, Thyroiditis, Chronic, Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis, Hashimoto's Disease, Hashimoto's Struma, Thyroiditis, Chronic, Hashimoto's syndrome, Hashimoto's Struma, Thyroiditis, Chronic, Hashimoto's syndrome, Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Types of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis:

Parent types of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Autoimmune diseases, Autoimmune thyroid diseases, Thyroiditis, Hypothyroidism, Thyroid disorders, Under-diagnosed conditions

Organs Affected by Hashimoto's Thyroiditis:

thyroid gland

How many people get Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Prevalance of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: 1,490,371 adults and 205,159 children in the USA 1996 ¹
Prevalance Rate of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: approx 1 in 182 or 0.55% or 1.5 million people in USA [about data]

Who gets Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Patient Profile for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Usually adults 30-50
Gender Profile for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Women 50:1 (NWHIC).

How serious is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Prognosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Good. Most patients recover with treatment.
Prognosis of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Most patients regain normal health with treatment. (Source: excerpt from Endocrine Diseases: NWHIC)
Complications of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: see complications of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

What causes Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Class of Condition for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: autoimmune
Causes of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: see causes of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Can anyone else get Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

Contagion of autoimmunity: generally not; see details in contagion of autoimmune diseases.
Inheritance: see inheritance of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

How is it treated?

Treatments for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: see treatments for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Research for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: see research for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis