In the United States, the leading cause of hypothyroidism is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, in which immune cells attack the thyroid.

For example, Immunochip data identify a candidate causal SNP for multiple sclerosis that has no effect on autoimmune thyroiditis disease risk.

Hashimoto’s, or chronic lymphocytic autoimmune thyroiditis, was the first autoimmune disease described and is characterized by antibody-mediated attack of the thyroid gland.