Risk factors

These factors may contribute to your risk of developing Hashimoto's disease:

• Sex. Women are much more likely to get Hashimoto's disease.
• Age. Hashimoto's disease can occur at any age but more commonly occurs during middle age.
• Heredity. You're at higher risk for Hashimoto's disease if others in your family have thyroid or other autoimmune diseases.
• Other autoimmune disease. Having another autoimmune disease � such as rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes or lupus � increases your risk of developing Hashimoto's disease.
• Radiation exposure. People exposed to excessive levels of environmental radiation are more prone to Hashimoto's disease.