Pathogenetic mechanisms, clinical signs and consequences of the autoimmune thyroiditis impact on body systems (a literature review)

Abstract

Background. The review analyzes the publications on the pathogenetic mechanisms and clinical consequences of the impact of autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism on body systems. Autoimmune thyroiditis is an organ-specific autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland and the most common cause of hypothyroidism in regions of the world with sufficient iodine. Sources of information. The sources of information were reports in domestic and, mostly, foreign periodicals on immunology, pathological physiology, internal medicine, and endocrinology. Synthesis of evi­dence. The effect of autoimmune thyroiditis on the systems of the body is implemented in two ways. The first one is accomplished through the body’s immune system, when the organ-specific immune process in the thyroid gland for unknown reasons acquires signs of systemic disease with clinical manifestations of damage to other organs and systems. The second is due to hypothyroidism, which is the logical conclusion of the autoimmune process in the thyroid. The effects of hypothyroidism on the body as a whole and its systems, in particular, are known, and the pathogenetic mecha­nisms are not fully understood and require in-depth study. The issues of the body's autoimmune disease, the mechanisms of its initiation and progression remain undiscovered and poorly understood. Conclusions. The effect of autoimmune thyroiditis is reali­zed through the immune system when the organ-specific immune process in the thyroid gland for unknown reasons acquires signs of systemic disease and hypothyroidism, which is the logical conclusion of the autoimmune process in the thyroid gland. The pathogenetic mechanisms of the effects of autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism on the body are not fully understood and require in-depth study. The presented data show that over the last decade the interest in studying the problem of autoimmune thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, and their pathological significance for the body has deepened.