Hashimoto Thyroiditis—Thyroid Diseases

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. Thyroid hormones control the rate of many activities in your body. These include how fast you burn calories and how fast your heart beats. All of these activities are your body’s metabolism.

Thyroid problems include

• Goiter – enlargement of the thyroid gland
• Hyperthyroidism – when your thyroid gland makes more thyroid hormones than your body needs
• Hypothyroidism – when your thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormones
• Thyroid cancer
• Thyroid nodules – lumps in the thyroid gland
• Thyroiditis – swelling of the thyroid

To diagnose thyroid diseases, doctors use a medical history, physical exam, and thyroid tests. They sometimes also use a biopsy. Treatment depends on the problem, but may include medicines, radioiodine therapy, or thyroid surgery.

Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

• Antithyroglobulin antibody (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Antithyroid microsomal antibody (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Goiter (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Radioactive iodine uptake (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Silent thyroiditis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Subacute thyroiditis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• T3 test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• T4 test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Thyroid gland removal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Thyroid nodule (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Thyroid storm (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Thyroid Tests – NIH (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• TSH test (Medical Encyclopedia)

Hashimoto thyroiditis is a condition that affects the function of the thyroid, which is a butterfly-shaped gland in the lower neck. The thyroid makes hormones that help regulate a wide variety of critical body functions. For example, thyroid hormones influence growth and development, body temperature, heart rate, menstrual cycles, and weight. Hashimoto thyroiditis is a form of chronic inflammation that can damage the thyroid, reducing its ability to produce hormones.One of the first signs of Hashimoto thyroiditis is an enlargement of the thyroid called a goiter. Depending on its size, the enlarged thyroid can cause the neck to look swollen and may interfere with breathing and swallowing. As damage to the thyroid continues, the gland can shrink over a period of years and the goiter may eventually disappear.Other signs and symptoms resulting from an underactive thyroid can include excessive tiredness (fatigue), weight gain or difficulty losing weight, hair that is thin and dry, a slow heart rate, joint or muscle pain, and constipation. People with this condition may also have a pale, puffy face and feel cold even when others around them are warm. Affected women can have heavy or irregular menstrual periods and difficulty conceiving a child (impaired fertility). Difficulty concentrating and depression can also be signs of a shortage of thyroid hormones.Hashimoto thyroiditis usually appears in mid-adulthood, although it can occur earlier or later in life. Its signs and symptoms tend to develop gradually over months or years.