Autoimmune Disease - Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
June 25th, 2026 by admin
Autoimmune diseases are an interesting phenomenon, there being more than 100 different variants, revolving around the immune system malfunctioning. The immune system's purpose is to protect the human body from illness, warding off enemies, and sending out white blood cells to attack the foreign invaders (Autoimmune Diseases). The immune system is the body's warrior. However, when having autoimmune disease, the immune system is extremely active, and starts to attack the very same body it was designed to protect (Autoimmune Diseases). In the process, the immune system damages healthy tissue, disrupting the healthy body and resulting in negative outcomes. Autoimmune diseases are chronic conditions, lasting for a person's whole life, and can affect the whole body, including: joints, skin, muscles, blood vessels, the digestive system, the nervous system, and the endocrine system (Autoimmune Diseases).
The endocrine system contains the tissue and glands that mainly create and release hormones, which regulate the thousands of body functions (Endocrine System). The endocrine system includes the seven major organs of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pineal gland, and pancreas (Health Direct - Endocrine). Therefore, when the endocrine system is disrupted, through autoimmune disease, the body's hormones can fluctuate, resulting in hormonal imbalance. Leading to a series of conditions affecting any of the following organs.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
A highly overlooked and unrecognized autoimmune disease, regarding the endocrine system, is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto's disease. The condition received its name from Japanese surgeon, Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto who first described the disease in 1912 (Thyroiditis). The chronic autoimmune disease affects the thyroid, causing "lower-than-normal levels of thyroid hormone" in the body, as well as systemic inflammation (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). Hashimoto's disease results in the body mistakenly interpreting the thyroid gland as a foreign invader, attacking it, weakening its functionality. The white blood cells repeatedly attack the thyroid, causing the body to develop antibodies that damage the gland, resulting in the inflammation (American Thyroid Association). Hashimoto disease, the most common cause for hypothyroidism, results in symptoms like weight gain, fatigue, dry skin, puffy face/eyes, memory problems, an inflamed thyroid, and constipation (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). The thyroid is the butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of the neck, which releases the thyroid hormones. Its main purpose is to control the speed of a person's metabolism, creating food into energy (Metabolism). Therefore, when a person does not receive enough thyroid hormones, the metabolism can slow down and result in weight gain, which is one of the symptoms.
Hashimoto disease "affects about 5 in 100 people in the United States," meaning that is relatively common, and could affect anyone in the world (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). However, among that scale, the majority of patients are women, who are 10 times more likely to get Hashimoto's than men, typically appearing in ages from 30 to 50 (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). Women of younger ages, like teens, are still likely to experience Hashimoto's, due to hormonal malfunctions and fluctuation. The condition ranges from 4.8–25.8% in women, to 0.9–7.9% in men, on a worldwide basis (National Library of Medicine). Contributing risk factors in developing Hashimoto disease include having preexisting family history with autoimmune diseases, and giving birth for women (OASH - Hashimoto Disease). For example, many women experience postpartum thyroiditis after delivering a baby, where the thyroid gland becomes inflamed and switches back and forth between hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (Thyroiditis). Among these women, 20% have a chance of permanent hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's disease. Therefore, several people should be educated on the autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, to help keep those who experience the condition feel safe, accepted, and supported.