Chronic lymphatic thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s disease, was first reported by Dr. Saku Hashimoto in Japan. In the past, because the public knew little about it, when doctors gave the diagnosis of the disease, patients often thought they had some strange disease. In fact, it is the most common type of thyroiditis, accounting for about 1/4 to 1/3 of all outpatient visits to thyroid specialists, so patients should not be nervous. Hashimoto’s disease is a typical autoimmune disease, which is caused by a variety of reasons that lead to a disruption of the body’s immune system, the body produces toxic substances against its own thyroid gland – autoantibodies, resulting in the destruction of thyroid cells and eventually hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s disease is most common in women of childbearing age between 30 and 50, with a female to male ratio of 20:1, and many patients often find that their mothers, daughters, aunts and other close relatives, especially siblings, are affected, indicating a clear genetic predisposition to the disease. The degree of enlargement varies, from a slight enlargement that is not noticeable to an enlarged thyroid gland that can be 2-4 times larger than normal; the surface of the enlarged thyroid gland is smooth, but when touched it feels tougher, like touching a rubber; sometimes multiple small nodules can be touched. Patients usually do not feel pain in the thyroid area, and there is no pressure pain. At this time, thyroid function tests (such as serum TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH measurement, thyroid 131 iodine uptake rate measurement, etc.) will not reveal any abnormalities. Because of the insidious onset, many patients are found to have chronic lymphatic thyroiditis only when they are seen for hypothyroidism. A small number of patients may experience transient hyperthyroidism at some point, and may also experience recurrent hyperthyroidism or alternating hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism if affected by iodine intake and inflammation and repair of the thyroid gland. Iodine intake can be appropriately reduced in the daily diet. Iodine intake is an important environmental factor influencing the development of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and the incidence of the disease increases significantly with increased iodine intake. In particular, increased iodine intake can promote the development of clinical hypothyroidism in patients with latent Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Foods rich in iodine are mainly seafood, nori and kelp, etc. It is also possible to replace the regular iodized salt with non-iodized salt. You can also take appropriate selenium supplements under the guidance of your doctor. Selenium is named after the Greek legendary moon goddess (Selefie). Selenium is an essential trace element for living things. At present, its biological role is being recognized by domestic and foreign scholars, and research has proved that the appropriate nutritional status of selenium in the body is conducive to the maintenance of normal immune defense, thyroid function, reproductive function, etc. Foods rich in selenium include meat, especially animal liver and kidney, as well as seafood, cereals, mushrooms, onions, garlic, asparagus and other products, eggs, tuna and oysters are also rich in selenium. In the case of meeting nutritional needs, a daily supplement of 200 micrograms of selenium is appropriate.