Your thyroid gland, located in your neck, is relatively small but has a big impact on your body’s functions. So it’s no surprise that if something goes wrong with it, it can have detrimental effects on your overall health.
You likely have never heard of Hashimoto’s Disease (chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis). However, supermodel Gigi Hadid revealed she suffers from the thyroid disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack your thyroid gland, causing inflammation and subsequently an underactive thyroid. This lack of production from your thyroid can have a variety of symptoms. Let’s look at 12 facts about this disease that affects thousands of Americans…
1. Exact Cause Isn’t Known
Hashimoto’s Disease is an autoimmune disease, a group of diseases that are still being studied. However, the basic premise is always that your body’s defense systems are somehow tricked into thinking healthy tissue is a threat, and turns against it.
The Mayo Clinic says that some scientists believe the trigger for this particular disease may be a virus or bacterial infection, and others believe there’s a genetic link. There could be other risk factors, which we’ll look more closely at next.
