Hypothyroidism causes

Hypothyroidism Main page
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Overview
Classification Primary hypothyroidism Hashimoto's thyroiditis Secondary hypothyroidism Tertiary hypothyroidism
Differentiating different causes of hypothyroidism
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Diagnosis
History and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Causes

There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism.

Common Causes

Historically and, still, in many developing countries iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism world-wide. In present day developed countries, however, hypothyroidism is mostly caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or by a lack of the thyroid gland or a deficiency of hormones from either the hypothalamus or the pituitary.

Less Common Causes

• Hypothyroidism can result from postpartum thyroiditis, a condition that affects about 5% of all women within a year after giving birth. The first phase is typically hyperthyroidism. Then, the thyroid either returns to normal or a woman develops hypothyroidism. Of those women who experience hypothyroidism associated with postpartum thyroiditis, one in five will develop permanent hypothyroidism requiring life-long treatment.

• Hypothyroidism can also result from sporadic inheritance, sometimes autosomal recessive.

• Temporary hypothyroidism can be due to the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular	No underlying causes
Chemical/Poisoning	No underlying causes
Dental	No underlying causes
Dermatologic	No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect	Axitinib, Mitotane, Pergolide, Pramipexole, Tiagabine, Tocilizumab
Ear Nose Throat	No underlying causes
Endocrine	No underlying causes
Environmental	No underlying causes
Gastroenterologic	No underlying causes
Genetic	No underlying causes
Hematologic	No underlying causes
Iatrogenic	No underlying causes
Infectious Disease	No underlying causes
Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic	No underlying causes
Neurologic	No underlying causes
Nutritional/Metabolic	No underlying causes
Obstetric/Gynecologic	No underlying causes
Oncologic	No underlying causes
Ophthalmologic	No underlying causes
Overdose/Toxicity	No underlying causes
Psychiatric	No underlying causes
Pulmonary	No underlying causes
Renal/Electrolyte	No underlying causes
Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy	No underlying causes
Sexual	No underlying causes
Trauma	No underlying causes
Urologic	No underlying causes
Miscellaneous	No underlying causes

Causes in Alphabetical Order

• Amyloidosis
• Antithyroid drugs
• Cystinosis
• Dermatosclerosis
• Drugs such as Oxcarbazepine
• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
• Head and neck surgery
• Hemochromatosis
• Iodine deficiency
• Neoplastic
• Peripheral thyroid gland disorder resistance
• Pergolide
• Radiation therapy to head neck or chest area
• Radioactive iodine therapy
• Reidel's Thyroiditis
• Sarcoidosis, granulomatous disease
• Scleroderma
• Secondary hypothyroidism
• Silent thyroiditis
• Subacute thyroiditis
• Subtotal thyroidectomy
• Supprative thyroiditis
• Thyreostatic therapy
• Thyroid agenesis, dysgenesis, ectopy
• Tiagabine
• TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) deficiency