Patients with Hashimoto's disease are predominantly female (5:1) and have a firm, finely nodular goitre. They are commonly euthyroid, but may be hypo- or hyperthyroid.
Lymphocytic thyroiditis is the term used to describe a mild form of Hashimoto's disease, in which the patient is euthyroid, usually with a small firm goitre that histologically shows less-intense lymphocytic infiltration. Up to ten per cent of apparently normal adult women in the general population have this thyroid disorder and are asymptomatic.
