1 INTRODUCTION Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the production of thyroid autoantibodies against thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (Tg) that attack thyroid cells by cell- and antibody-mediated immune processes and cause progressive fibrosis (Ragusa et al., 2019). Thyroid hormones are responsible for thermogenesis, basal metabolic rate, carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, so HT adversely affects health status and quality of life.
