Is thyroid disease classed as an autoimmune disease?

[Kimkat]

I was at the dermatologist yesterday for an appointment and was asked if I had an auto immune disease, I said well I am hypothyroid and one nurse said that’s not an autoimmune disease and the other said, I think it is. I left them to it but it got me thinking 🤔

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Kimkat

It's an autoimmune disease if you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's.

But there are other causes of hypothyroidism that are not autoimmune.

If you have had thyroid antibodies tested (TPO/Tg) and they were positive then your hypothyroidism is autoimmune.

[Kimkat in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for clearing that up

[Lalatoot]

For 80% of hypothyroid folks it is an autoimmune disease. They have autoimmune thyroiditis aka hashimotos. This is diagnosed by raised antibody levels.

It is important to know the cause of being hypo as it lets you understand your condition better and if you have one autoimmune disease you are more prone to others.

[Kimkat in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have had RAI, presumably this was because you have Graves’ disease

Graves’ disease is autoimmune

[Kimkat]

Graves and Hashimoto was new to me until I used this forum, my consultant never mentioned I to me. I had RAI because of thyroid modules, after a partial thyroidectomy they just kept growing.

[greygoose in reply to Kimkat]

Then you possibly don't have autoimmune thyroid disease. You are hypothyroid due to RAI.

If the thyroid nodules were due to Hashi's, then you will no-longer have Hashi's, because once the thyroid has gone, the Hashi's goes too. But, there's no guarantee you will ever know, even if you get your antibodies tested.

[jersey-jazz in reply to greygoose]

This is probably not true. The Hashimoto's disease has destroyed my thyroid till there is little or no thyroid gland left. Still, the antibodies are raised and I still have the disease.

[Angel_of_the_North]

If it is autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimotos or Graves), it is; if it central hypo or caused by damage to or removal of thyroid, it probably isn't - although Graves doesn't go away, Hashis does.