Cite this page: Islam S. Autoimmune thyroiditis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/thyroidautoimmune.html. Accessed December 20th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Nonneoplastic thyroid disorders with antithyroid antibodies and associated with specific HLA haplotypes
- #1 cause of hypothyroidism in iodine sufficient areas
- Includes Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and most forms of thyroiditis in this section except infectious
- Rosai differentiates based on follicular epithelium: lymphocytic thyroiditis if relatively normal follicles, Hashimoto's thyroiditis if oncocytic change, Graves' disease if diffusely hyperplastic follicles
Epidemiology
- Children often present with asymptomatic goiter of short duration (J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2007;20:961, Arch Dis Child 2009;94:33)
- Associated with female children of bipolar parents (Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2007;17:394), radioactive iodine (Epidemiology 2006;17:604, but see JAMA 2006;295:1011), iodine supplementation (Hormones (Athens) 2007;6:25), history of pregnancy (Autoimmunity 2008;41:174)
Clinical features
- May be due to disturbance in suppressor T cells