Thyroiditis is swelling (inflammation) of the thyroid gland. It causes either unusually high or low levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.There are several different types of thyroiditis which include as bellow based on the agent causing the disease:
Acute thyroiditis or suppurative thyroiditis
This condition is caused by an infectious organism, or bacterium, and is relatively rare.
Drug-induced thyroiditis
This condition is caused by the use of drugs such as amiodarone, interferons, lithium, and cytokines. It only occurs in a small fraction of patients using the offending drugs, so it is not common in the normal population.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
This autoimmune condition is caused by anti-thyroid antibodies. This is the most common form of thyroiditis found in the normal population and is almost 5 times more common in women than in men. This form of thyroiditis usually results in hypothyroidism, and the patient will need thyroid hormone replacement. Many factors are thought to play a role in getting Hashimoto’s disease. These include:
- Genes. Some people are prone to Hashimoto’s disease because of their genes. Researchers are working to find the gene or genes involved.
- Gender. Sex hormones also might play a role. This may help to explain why Hashimoto’s disease affects more women than men.
- Too much iodine and some drugs may trigger the onset of thyroid disease in people prone to getting it.
Postpartum thyroiditis
Some women have thyroid problems after having a baby, which usually go away. But about 20 percent of these women develop Hashimoto’s disease in later years. This suggests that pregnancy might trigger thyroid disease in some women.
Radiation-induced thyroiditis
Radiation exposure has been shown to bring on autoimmune thyroid disease.This condition is caused by external radiation used as a medical treatment for certain cancers or by radioactive iodine to treat hyperthyroidism.
Silent thyroiditis or painless thyroiditis
This is also an autoimmune disease caused by anti-thyroid antibodies. It is also common in women and the next common cause after Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.Silent thyroiditis is very similar to postpartum thyroiditis, but it can occur in men and women, and is not related to giving birth.
Like postpartum thyroiditis, there may be a phase of high thyroid hormone levels (thyrotoxicosis) causing symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland. This may be followed by symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland, before the symptoms go away in 12 to 18 months.
Subacute thyroiditis or de Quervain’s thyroiditis
This condition is thought to be caused by a virus. De Quervain’s (subacute) thyroiditis isa painful swelling of the thyroid gland thought to be triggered by a viral infection, such as mumps or the flu. It’s most commonly seen in women aged 20 to 50.It usually causes fever and pain in the neck, jaw or ear. The thyroid gland can also release too much thyroid hormone into the blood (thyrotoxicosis), leading to symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), such as anxiety, insomnia and heart palpitations.
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/thyroiditis
