Hypothyroidism
What Increases Your Risk
Many factors may increase your risk for developing hypothyroidism. These include:
- Age and sex. Older adults are more likely to develop hypothyroidism than younger people, and women are more likely than men to develop thyroid disease.8
- Family history. Hypothyroidism tends to run in families.
- Previous thyroid problems. Thyroid disease, an enlarged thyroid (goiter), and surgery or radiation therapy to treat thyroid problems increase the likelihood of developing hypothyroidism in the future.
- Some lifelong conditions.Diabetes, an autoimmune disease that causes patches of light skin (vitiligo), pernicious anemia, and premature grey hair (leukotrichia) are seen more often in people with hypothyroidism.
- Iodine deficiency. This is rare in Canada and the United States but common in areas where iodine is not added to salt, food, and water.
- Medicines. Some medicines can interfere with normal thyroid function, particularly lithium carbonate, amiodarone (such as Amiodarone and Cordarone), and interferon alfa (such as Infergen).
Up to 20% of women older than 60 have mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism; about 2% to 5% of people with subclinical disease develop hypothyroidism every year.6, 8 Many of the same factors that increase your risk for hypothyroidism also increase your risk for mild hypothyroidism.
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| Author: | Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise | Last Updated: October 20, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Hanan Bassyouni, MD - Endocrinology and Metabolism | |
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