People who suffer from thyroid disease know the struggle of getting a correct diagnosis. All too often, people experiencing the symptoms of thyroid disease only know that something is wrong, but don’t know enough to put a name to it. One of the most common forms of thyroid disease is a condition known as Hashimoto Thyroiditis or Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis. With this disease, the thyroid is attacked by the victim’s immune system.

This disease was first described in 1912, by Hakaru Hashimoto. It was one of the first thyroid diseases that was cataloged, and its discovery came at a time when medical science was just starting to learn about the effect of the thyroid gland and the hormones that it produces. Today, the disease is believed to affect nearly 14 million Americans and millions of more people around the world. In fact, it’s estimated that between 1-3% of the world’s population has the condition. Women are eight times more likely to suffer from the condition than men, but it has been known to affect anyone, including children.

If you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with this disease, it’s easy to wonder what could have caused it. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, as doctors and scientists are still researching the exact causes of Hashimoto’s Disease. There are a few possibilities, however, that researchers believe may be the answer.

Genetics

There is a distinct pattern in many families of members who suffer from Hashimoto Thyroiditis. There have been multiple recorded cases of families who have had members suffering from the disease going back five or more generations. Determining a genetic cause, however, isn’t a simple task. So far, scientists have struggled to find the exact gene responsible for the disease, making many of them believe that it may be caused by a combination of genes or a combination of genes and environmental factors. As of today, there is not a simple genetic test that can be done to test for carriers of the disease.

To further complicate matters, there are also multiple cases of people who have the disease with no discernable family history. Getting the disease is also not guaranteed if a person’s parents or even both parents have it. This usually indicates a combination of factors beyond just genetics contribute to whether a person will have Hashimoto’s.

Virus

One possible theory is that a virus can enter the thyroid, causing the immune response and inflaming the organ. Scientists who espouse this theory believe that there is a genetic component that makes sufferers more susceptible to the virus, and/or creates an enhanced immune response.