An overview of the pathogenesis of thyroid autoimmunity

Over half a century has elapsed since the 1956 identification of thyroglobulin antibodies and the devising of the first experimental model of autoimmune thyroiditis. Since then, an incredible amount of experimental work has led to an ever deeper understanding of the nature of thyroid auto-antigens, the main immune mechanisms responsible for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease, their genetics, and their environmental risk factors. Yet, in the majority of genetically predisposed people the individual trigger of thyroid autoimmunity remains obscure. Similarly, effective prevention strategies still remain to be established and, hopefully, will be the target of future studies.