Definition

Noun: * Hashimoto's disease: An autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system attacks the thyroid gland, leading to chronic inflammation (thyroiditis) and an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). It is the most common cause of hypothyroidism and occurs most frequently in middle-aged women.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • After years of fatigue, she was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease.
  • Managing Hashimoto's disease typically involves daily thyroid hormone replacement medication.
  • The doctor explained that Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune condition, not simply a thyroid problem.

Advanced Usage

• Medical Context: The term is used specifically in endocrinology and immunology. It is often synonymous with "chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis" or "autoimmune thyroiditis" in clinical settings.
  • The biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto's disease.

Variants and Related Words

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis: A fully equivalent term for the same condition.
• Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis: The formal medical name for the disorder.
• Autoimmune thyroiditis: A broader descriptive term that encompasses Hashimoto's disease.

Synonyms

• Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis
• Autoimmune thyroiditis
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Related Phrases

• Underactive thyroid: Describes the common result (hypothyroidism) of Hashimoto's disease.
• Thyroid antibodies: The specific proteins (like anti-TPO antibodies) the immune system produces that attack the thyroid in this disease.

Noun

1. autoimmune disorder of the thyroid gland; most common in middle-aged women