This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Aetiology of primary hypothyroidism

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Primary thyroid failure may be caused by:

Common:

  • chronic autoimmune thyroiditis
  • Hashimoto's disease
  • following thyroidectomy or radioiodine treatment
  • iodine deficiency or, rarely, gross excess
  • drug-induced
  • de Quervain's thyroiditis - usually transient
  • silent thyroiditis - usually transient; may be permanent

Uncommon:

  • post-external beam irradiation to the neck
  • congenital causes
  • infiltrative disease:
    • sarcoidosis
    • systemic amyloidosis

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.