The Genetic Etiology of Autoimmune Thyroid Diseases: The Neverending Story

Mohamed Abd Ellatif ^1,3*, Adel Osman Musalam², Basiouny El-Gamal¹ & Arshi Malik¹

¹Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
²Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia
³Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

Prof. Mohamed Abd Ellatif, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Hashimoto`s Disease; Graves’ Disease; Autoimmune Thyroid Disease; Hypothyroidism; Genetic Etiology

Abstract

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is the most prevalent autoimmune thyroid disorder. Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD), including Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, arise due to complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors. Each is presenting with distinct clinical features. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of the mechanisms leading to AITD. Because of the complex nature of AITD, caused by their polygenic nature and a complex mode of inheritance, there are still more questions to be answered than answers that can be given, especially about the nature of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Unlocking the genetic contribution to AITD will hold one of the keys to understanding disease pathogenesis and developing improved treatments. Common HT and GD genes have been identified, as well as genes that are characteristic for only one of those diseases. In this review, we summarize the findings on the genetic susceptibility to AITD focusing on emerging mechanisms of susceptibility.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. (CC BY 4.0).