Science Fair Project Encyclopedia Hashimoto's thyroiditis is the
most common form of thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease where the
body's own antibodies fight the cells of the thyroid. It is
named after the Japanese physician, Hakaru Hashimoto , who first
described it in 1912. It is four times more common among women
than men, and runs in families, with the HLADR5 gene most
strongly implicated (conferring a relative risk of 3) in the UK.
The genes implicated vary in different ethnic groups.
Physiologically, antibodies to thyroid peroxidase and/or
thyroglobulin cause gradual destruction of follicles in the
thyroid gland. Accordingly, the disease can be detected
clinically by looking for these antibodies in the blood. It is
also characterised by invasion of the thyroid tissue by
leukocytes, chiefly T-lymphocytes. Treatment is by daily
thyroxine, with the sodium salt of thyroxine liothyronine given
when the need to raise levels of circulating thyroxine is
urgent. Symptoms of Hashimoto's thyroiditis include sympto