It was not until 1931 that the disease was recognized as a disease in its own right when researchers Allen Graham et al from Cleveland reported its symptoms and presentation in the same detailed manner as Hakaru.In 1956, Drs. Rose and Witebsky were able to demonstrate how immunization of certain rodents with extracts of other rodents thyroid resembled the disease Hakaru and other researchers were trying to describe. These doctors were also able to describe anti-thyroglobulin antibodies in blood serum samples from these same animals.Later on in the same year, researches from the Middlesex Hospital in London were able to perform human experiments on patients who presented with similar symptoms. They purified anti-thyroglobulin antibody from their serum and were able to conclude that these sick patients have an immunological reaction to human thyroglobulin. From this data, it was proposed that Hashimotos struma could be an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland. In 1957, it was recognized as an autoimmune disorder and was the first organ-specific autoimmune disorder identified.Following this recognition, the same researchers from Middlesex Hospital published an article in 1962 in Lancet which ended up including a portrait of Hakaru Hashimoto. The disease was able to become so much more well known from that moment and Hashimotos disease became to appear more frequently in textbooks.Since those discoveries, a number of autoimmune diseases have been able to be discovered with several of them having to do with thyroid-specific antibodies.
Though it may occur at any age, including in children, it is most often observed in women between 30 and 60 years of age. The highest prevalence from one study was found in the elderly members of the community.Those that already have an autoimmune disease are at greater risk of developing Hashimotos as the diseases generally coexist with each other. Common diseases seen coexisting with Hashimotos include celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, and rheumatoid arthritis.Congenital hypothyroidism affects 1 in 3500-4000 newborns at birth and is a version of intellectual disability that can be treated if caught early, but can be hard to diagnose given that symptoms are minimal at a young age. Congenital hypothyroidism is generally caused by defects of the thyroid gland, but for most cases in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the iodine intake can cause hypothyroidism in newborns. Geographic influence of dietary trends
Diets consisting of low or high iodine intake determine a populations risk of developing thyroid-related disorders. It is more common in regions of high iodine dietary intake, and among people who are genetically susceptible. Geography plays a large role in which regions have access to diets with low or high iodine. Iodine levels in both water and salt should be heavily monitored in order to protect at-risk populations from developing hypothyroidism.Geographic trends of hypothyroidism vary across the world as different places have different ways of defining disease and reporting cases.