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Prevention of autoimmune hypothyroidism by modifying iodine intake and the use of tobacco and alcohol is manoeuvring between Scylla and Charybdis

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Abstract

Although autoimmune hypothyroidism has generally been considered to be a disease that mainly develops because of genetic aberrations and for which adjustment of environment would bring about but slight risk modification, this understanding is increasingly appearing to be incorrect. We describe how iodine intake, smoking cessation and alcohol intake are all strong modifiers of risk that, combined, may influence risk by a factor of up to 30.

Unfortunately, promotion of an environment leading to substantial lowering of the risk of autoimmune hypothyroidism (i.e. improvement of dietary iodine deficiency, decrease or cessation of smoking, and moderate alcohol intake) is not incorporated within current public health promoting programs. Nevertheless, it is increasingly becoming evident that knowledge of the importance of these factors for disease development is likely to assist in the planning of health promotion programs, while it will surely also be of value in the care of individual patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology and Medicine, Aalborg Hospital, Aalborg University, DK - 9000, Aalborg, Denmark

    Peter Laurberg M.D. (Professor), Stig Andersen, Inge Bülow Pedersen & Allan Carlé

  2. Medicine Clinics I, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Nils Knudsen

Authors
  1. Peter Laurberg M.D.
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  2. Stig Andersen
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  3. Inge Bülow Pedersen
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  4. Nils Knudsen
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  5. Allan Carlé
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter Laurberg M.D..

Additional information

According to Greek mythology, the sea-monsters Scylla and Charybdis were on either side of a strait so narrow that sailors attempting to avoid one monster would come dangerously close to the other.

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Laurberg, P., Andersen, S., Pedersen, I.B. et al. Prevention of autoimmune hypothyroidism by modifying iodine intake and the use of tobacco and alcohol is manoeuvring between Scylla and Charybdis. Hormones 12, 30–38 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03401284

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