Subacute thyroiditis is a rare medical condition caused by inflammation of the thyroid gland after a viral infection. It has three stages: hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, and euthyroid. Symptoms include swelling, pain, tenderness, fatigue, fever, and difficulty swallowing. Diagnosis involves tests for hormone levels. There is no cure, but it usually goes away on its own within weeks to months. Treatment involves relieving inflammation and pain with aspirin, ibuprofen, or steroids.
Subacute thyroiditis is a medical condition also known as subacute granulomatous thyroiditis or De Quervain’s thyroiditis. It is a rare disease in which the affected individual has an inflamed thyroid gland. Most of the time, this inflammation occurs after a viral infection has occurred in the upper respiratory tract. Since this is the circumstance surrounding the onset of subacute thyroiditis, one gets the impression that the condition is caused by a viral infection.
Generally, there are three main stages associated with subacute thyroiditis: hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, and euthyroid. Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid produces and releases too much thyroid hormone into the bloodstream. With hypothyroidism, there is a lack of thyroid hormone in the body as a result of the previous stage. After the disease has run its course, euthyroid sets in, which means the thyroid returns to normal. In some cases, however, the thyroid does not survive the disease; when this happens to someone, they will have to be on thyroid hormone medication for the rest of their life.
During the time an individual is suffering from subacute thyroiditis, they will experience many symptoms. Swelling, pain and tenderness are key features of the disease. The thyroid gland swells and causes the affected individual pain, which can then spread from the throat to the ears and jaw. Also, your throat may be tender to the touch. Other symptoms include fatigue, fever, and difficulty swallowing.
Some of the symptoms of subacute thyroiditis occur at different times in the course of the disease. For example, with hyperthyroidism, symptoms include diarrhea, heart palpitations, and weight loss. When the disease progresses to hypothyroidism, symptoms such as constipation, fatigue and weight gain are normal.
Diagnosis involves tests that indicate low or high levels of certain hormones or substances in the body. For example, an individual might have subacute thyroiditis if their body’s presence of radioactive iodine uptake is low or if their serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level is high. In some cases, the symptoms can be misleading and lead to misdiagnoses. For example, if inflammation is present in only one side of the gland, it can be misdiagnosed as thyroid cancer.
There is no cure for subacute thyroiditis, as the condition usually goes away on its own within weeks to months. Although the disease appears to be related to the viral infection, treatment does not involve the use of antibiotics because they have no effect. To relieve inflammation and pain, an individual might use aspirin or ibuprofen. Someone with a more severe case of subacute thyroiditis might be using steroids.
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