Related article: Graves' disease
Related article: Graves' disease
Hashimoto's disease is characterized by chronic inflammation of the thyroid gland, often leading to a less than sufficient production of the hormones T3 and T4. In some cases hormone replacement therapy may alleviate the majority of symptoms, at least for a while, while in other cases euthyroid patients suffer from a variety of symptoms; lethargy and fatigue being prominent symptoms.1)
Women with Hashimotos thyroiditis suffer from a high symptom load. Hypothyroidism is only a contributing factor to the development of associated conditions.2)
An infectious etiology has long been suspected in different thyroid diseases, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis. As with many other inflammatory diseases most reasearchers appear to be searching for one specific culprit, something which seems unlikely in light of the many findings of links to many different viruses and bacteria in thyroid disease. Further, in the light of the last few years' progress in metagenomics, a multimicrobial, successive type infection appears more likely to drive the disease process.3)
There are many links to infection in Hashimoto's disease, both sereological4)5)6) and DNA based.7)8)9)
Also, inflammatory thyroid disease has also been shown to occur as part of the immmunopathology resulting from treatment of HIV infection.10) In line with the Marshall Pathogenesis of inflammatory disease, this is most readily explained by an enhanced function of the immune system upon initiating antiviral therapy, revealing subclinical thyroid disease and multimicrobial infection of the thyroid gland.
Patients suffering from Hashimoto's disease have lower levels of vitamin 25-D, and disease severity correlates with vitamin D levels.11) In line with the Marshall Pathogenesis of inflammatory disease, this points to microbes having subverted the function of the vitamin D receptor.
The ratio of Th1/Th2 cells is higher in Hashimoto's, indicating presence of intracellular infection.12)
Selenium and iodine are essential for thyroid hormone synthesis and function.13)