title: Autoimmune thyroid disease.
abstract: A considerable proportion of the thyroid diseases is due to aberrant immune reactions toward thyroid antigens. Autoreactivity is considered to be a normal process controlled by several suppressor mechanisms. Malfunction of these suppressor mechanisms may result in autoimmune disease. Mechanisms of self-tolerance, defects in autoimmune disease, thyroid autoantibodies, thyroid autoreactive T cells, several thyroid autoimmune diseases, and the role of iodine in thyroid autoimmune reactivity are addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mooij
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Drexhage
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II