What is Thyroiditis?
If your thyroid is swollen, you may have a condition called thyroiditis. It primarily affects women, although anyone can get it. Thyroiditis could be painful or painless. It causes either unusually high or low levels of thyroid hormones in the blood. There are several different types of thyroiditis, includes:
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: is caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland, making it swell and become damaged.
- Subacute thyroiditis (De Quervain’s): is a painful swelling of the thyroid gland thought to be triggered by a viral infection.
- Postpartum thyroiditis: only affects a small number of women who have recently given birth.
- Drug-induced thyroiditis: Some medications can damage the thyroid and cause either symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland or symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland.
- Radiation-induced thyroiditis: The thyroid gland can sometimes be damaged by radiotherapy treatment or radioactive iodine treatment given for an overactive thyroid gland.
- Acute or infectious thyroiditis: Acute or infectious thyroiditis is usually triggered by a bacterial infection. It is rare and is associated with either a weakened immune system or, in children, a problem with the development of the thyroid.
- Silent (painless) thyroiditis: Silent thyroiditis is very similar to postpartum thyroiditis, but it can occur in men and women. This disorder was not recognized until the 1970s, although it probably existed and was treated as Graves’ disease before that. The majority of patients have been young women following pregnancy.
Symptoms of silent thyroiditis
Symptoms are often mild, and may include:
- Fatigue, feeling weak.
- Frequent bowel movements.
- Heat intolerance.
- Increased appetite.
- Increased sweating.
- Irregular menstrual periods.
- Mood changes, such as irritability.
- Muscle cramps.
Treatment of Silent thyroiditis
The disease usually needs no treatment, and 80% of patients show complete recovery and return of the thyroid gland to normal after 3 months. Treatment is usually bed rest with beta blockers to control palpitations (drugs to prevent rapid heart rates). A few patients have become permanently hypothyroid and needed to be placed on thyroid hormone.
Reference:
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2006/0515/p1769.html
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/thyroiditis/
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/thyroiditis
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15455-thyroiditis
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-thyroiditis#1
