Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis

Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT), which is reported by Japanese scientist Hashimoto in 1912, is an autoimmune thyroid disease characterized by the destruction of thyroid gland,hypothyroidism and female dominance. The disease is usually insidious onset with no specific clinical manifestations. CLT can be diagnosed based on enlarged thyroid, positive thyroid autoantibodies and hypothyroidism,though no identical diagnostic criteria is currently available. Fine needle aspiration and cytology is useful for the confirmation of CLT, and could be applied in patients with diagnostic difficulty. Thyroid hormone replacement therapy should be introduced in patients with hypothyroidism, especially in pregnant women, children and cases with overt thyroid enlargement. Treatment with thyroxine in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and euthyroid patients with positive thyroid autoantibedies remains controversial. Key words: Autoimmune thyroid disease;  Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis;  Hypothyroidism ;  Diagnosis;  Treatment