An autoimmune thyroiditis disease (aka Hashimoto's goiter) develops due to impaired immune responses and is characterized by inflammation of the thyroid gland. The pathological process consists in the fact that the body produces antibodies to the cells of the gland, which changes their structure, quantity and function.
Diagnosis: autoimmune thyroiditis
The causes of the disease can be many. One of the main factors is the environment: a person can live in a polluted area (with industrial waste, pesticides, radiation exposure). The development of autoimmune thyroiditis can be associated with prolonged use of drugs containing lithium, and the use of large doses of iodine. Hashimoto's goiter can also develop under the influence of an interferon drug. Any viral or bacterial infection, acute or chronic, can trigger the disease process. Heredity is also not excluded.
Other
thyroid disorders can serve as a background for the occurrence of thyroiditis: endemic or
diffuse toxic goiter, cancer or adenoma. The risk group includes people over forty years of age, in particular women, as well as people with
thyroid dysfunctions who have undergone surgery on the gland, as well as patients with diabetes mellitus, ovarian sclerocystosis, galactorrhea-amenorrhea syndrome, autoimmune and allergic diseases.
Symptoms of autoimmune thyroiditis
Usually the disease develops slowly, with the gradual
manifestation of symptoms, and can do this in different ways. The hypertrophic form entails a marked increase in the thyroid gland, the patient may have difficulty swallowing, a feeling of compression of the neck, general weakness. As a rule, pain does not happen. The increase in gland function, which is observed with autoimmune thyroiditis, leads to a feeling of fever, irritability, weight loss, sweating. Over time, the functions of the thyroid gland fade away, which leads to a hypothyroid state, characterized by dry skin, memory impairment, slow heartbeat, weight gain, shivering, hair loss. With the atrophic form of the disease, a gradual decrease in
thyroid hormone production is observed
. Symptoms are the same as with the hypertrophied form.
Only in this case, the gland is almost impossible to feel. There is also a latent form of the course of the disease, in which the symptoms do not appear, therefore, the presence of the disease can only be determined during laboratory studies.
Autoimmune thyroid thyroiditis: treatment
Hashimoto's goiter is treated by normalizing the level of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland into the blood. If the function of production is reduced, a lifelong replacement therapy is prescribed. It is important to remember that this disease requires constant monitoring by an endocrinologist, since a universal specific treatment for thyroiditis has not yet been developed. Be attentive to your health, especially when it comes to the thyroid gland.