The Immune System & Autoimmune Conditions

​90% of all thyroid conditions are autoimmune so for most people the immune system is the primary cause of thyroid disease.
But what triggers an autoimmune response?  Numerous triggers exist including stress, leaky gut, viruses or infections, heavy metals, mineral imbalances, candida infection etc. But - to develop an autoimmune disease you MUST have a genetic predisposition - that means a defect in a specific gene - that can be triggered. So - you can have a genetic predisposition but never develop that autoimmune disease if it's never triggered.

 

If you have one autoimmune disease you may have a genetic pre-disposition for (or may already have) others (1).​  It is known that some autoimmune diseases cluster together - 'thyrogastric cluster' (1)  or  Type 2 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (2) - meaning that if you have one you MAY be susceptible to getting others within the cluster although you need a genetic predisposition for this to be possible.