Can Hashimoto’s thyroiditis be cured?

  Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a form of autoimmune thyroiditis and there is no reliable treatment to eliminate the disease, only symptomatic treatment of thyroid size and abnormal thyroid function.  If the thyroid function is normal and the thyroid gland is small with no obvious symptoms of compression, it can be followed up and observed. If the enlarged thyroid gland is pressing on adjacent organs or affecting the appearance, thyroid hormones can shrink the thyroid gland and most cases will eventually transform into hypothyroidism, and early medication is better than eventually.  Those who develop hypothyroidism in Hashimoto’s disease are replaced with thyroid hormone, starting with small amounts and gradually increasing them until the gland shrinks and sensitive TSH is reduced to normal. When hyperthyroidism occurs in Hashimoto’s disease, beta-blockers can be used if it is transient. Even if antithyroid drugs are used, small doses and short applications should be chosen; if it is Hashimoto’s hyperthyroidism, it should be treated as toxic diffuse goiter, and surgery and iodine 131 radiotherapy are not recommended, unless surgery is performed after suppressive treatment for enlarged thyroid gland compression or suspected malignancy. Glucocorticosteroids can make the enlarged thyroid gland smaller and bring down the antibody titer, but they are not recommended because they can recur after discontinuation and have potential adverse effects.  Most cases of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have a good prognosis, but there is a tendency for natural progression to hypothyroidism, which was previously thought to be permanent, with some cases of spontaneous recovery of thyroid function after replacement therapy. In addition, the disease is at risk of developing lymphoma, and the incidence of thyroid cancer is higher than in the control population.  Therefore, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that is generally incurable and eventually converts to hypothyroidism, but some of the hypothyroidism can be recovered.