1/68. De Quervain's subacute thyroiditis presenting as a painless solitary thyroid nodule. We describe a 39-year-old woman presenting with a painless solitary thyroid nodule, initially without signs suggesting thyroiditis. The serum level of thyrotropin was suppressed whereas those of thyroxine and triiodothyronine were normal. Fine needle aspiration cytology showed no signs of inflammation or malignancy. One week later, the patient felt pain and tenderness on her neck, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and c-reactive protein were markedly elevated. Thyroid scintigraphy showed a suppressed thyroid pertechnetate uptake. At that time, the diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis was made. Upon treatment with steroids the patient's symptoms as well as the thyroid nodule resolved. This case illustrates that subacute thyroiditis de Quervain may present as a solitary, painless nodule with suppressed thyrotropin and should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of such lesions. ( info) |
| A 63 year old woman developed biopsy documented lesions of acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet's syndrome) one week after the onset of subacute thyroiditis. This is only the second reported case of such an association. The role of cytokines in the development of both subacute thyroiditis and Sweet's syndrome may be the link between these two conditions. ( info) |
3/68. Subacute thyroiditis during treatment with combination therapy (interferon plus ribavirin) for hepatitis c virus. Autoimmune thyroiditis has been frequently reported during interferon monotherapy for hepatitis c, but there are few reports concerning subacute thyroiditis. Recently, combination therapy of IFN plus ribavirin has become the preferred therapeutic schedule for chronic hepatitis c. Similarly to interferon monotherapy, there are no reports concerning subacute thyroiditis during combination therapy. We described four episodes of subacute thyroiditis occurring in three patients during antiviral combination therapy. All patients had symptoms compatible with hyperthyroidism, which could be misdiagnosed as IFN side-effects. The antiviral treatment was continued in all three patients and thyroid function increased progressively with pharmacological treatment for hyperthyroidism. We concluded that subacute thyroiditis may be a complication of combination antiviral therapy and should be investigated in patients presenting with compatible symptoms, in order to differentiate from IFN side-effects. ( info) |
| Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) usually occurs in women in middle age with a viral prodrome, thyroid or neck tenderness, classic symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). We report a case in an 81-year-old man who initially had 2 days of fever to 101.2 degrees F, confusion, and bilateral lower extremity weakness. Extensive evaluation was remarkable only for the following laboratory values: thyrotropin (TSH) 0.02 microIU/mL, free thyroxine (FT4) 3.1 ng/dL, free triiodothyronine (FT3) 6.0 pg/mL, and ESR 98 mm/hr. One week later, the patient had persistent fevers to 102 degrees F; no source was found. The fever resolved, and 3 months later the patient had profound hypothyroidism (TSH >44.0 microIU/mL, FT4 0.4 ng/dL, ESR 13 mm/hr). A painless thyroid gland and atypical manifestations of hyperthyroidism are unusual in SAT. When fever is of unknown origin, SAT should be considered even if classic features are absent. ( info) |
| A 22-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in complete remission received a conditioning regimen containing antithymocyte globulin for an unrelated bone marrow transplant (BMT). After BMT, the patient suffered from cytomegalovirus (CMV) pneumonitis with markedly high levels of CMV antigenemia, activated prothrombin time (APTT) prolongation, and subacute thyroiditis. Recovery of CD4 cells was delayed as long as 1 year after BMT. An association between these three episodes and viral infection due to the delayed recovery of CD4 cells is suggested. ( info) |
6/68. Subacute thyroiditis in a single lobe. A 33-year-old woman with no history of thyroid disease reported pain in her neck and a sore throat. On physical examination, the thyroid gland was palpable. serum T3 and T4 levels were increased, and the thyroid-stimulating hormone level was decreased. Thyroid scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate revealed nonvisualization of the left lobe of the thyroid. Ultrasonographic examination confirmed the presence of the left thyroid lobe. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed thyroiditis of the left lobe of the thyroid. The patient was started on an anti-inflammatory drug. The follow-up thyroid scan showed a normal thyroid gland. ( info) |
7/68. Atypical subacute thyroiditis: preliminary observations. Nine patients with painless or minimally painful subacute thyroiditis were seen between late June and October 2000. Six had a history of antecedant viral symptoms. Thyroid peroxidase antibodies were negative in eight patients tested; none had a family history of autoimmune thyroid disease. It is possible that these patients represent examples of postviral painless subacute thyroiditis (atypical subacute thyroiditis). In order to establish the nature of the syndrome, cytological examination, HLA typing, and long-term follow-up are necessary. ( info) |
8/68. Subacute thyroiditis in an immunosuppressed patient. Subacute thyroiditis is a well-recognized cause of transient thyrotoxicosis, resulting from a destruction injury to the thyroid. The pathogenesis of this condition is not completely understood and there is debate regarding the extent of the contribution of autoimmunity and external agents, such as infections, to this process. We present the first reported case of subacute thyroiditis in a patient who had been on chronic lithium therapy as well as long-term immunosuppression, with cyclosporin and prednisolone, following an allogeneic bone marrow transplant. We speculate that this case suggests a minimal role of autoimmunity in the development of subacute thyroiditis. ( info) |
9/68. Familial occurrence of subacute thyroiditis. Although subacute thyroiditis (de Quervain's thyroiditis) is presumed to be caused by a viral infection, only 2 familial occurrences of subacute thyroiditis have been reported in the literature. Typical and severe subacute thyroiditis was diagnosed in an older sister who was hospitalized for 8 days. During this period her younger sister nursed her. Three weeks after, the same clinical picture occurred in the younger sister. We postulate that subacute thyroiditis might occur by transmission of possible viral infection in genetically predisposed individuals. ( info) |
10/68. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic findings in a case of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis mimicking thyroid carcinoma. Subacute granulomatous thyroiditis is a common disease of unknown cause and is usually self-limiting, with complete resolution of symptoms occurring spontaneously or after steroidal treatment. We report a case of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis in a 62-year-old woman whose clinical presentation was consistent with thyroid carcinoma. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonography revealed marked enlargement of the left lobe of the thyroid and markedly hypoechoic, ill-defined focal areas in both lobes. No flow was noted on color Doppler sonographic examination. Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid was performed, and histopathologic examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis. The patient received prednisolone therapy (20 mg/day) for 2 weeks and recovered well. This case report is the first to describe the gray-scale and color Doppler sonographic appearances of subacute granulomatous thyroiditis. This disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with clinical signs and symptoms of thyroid carcinoma. Histopathologic examination is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. ( info) |