subacute thyroiditis

It is also sometimes called "painful subacute thyroiditis".

It is a type of subacute thyroiditis.

Subacute thyroiditis is an intriguing form of thyroiditis that can be a cause of both thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism.

There are several different kinds of thyroiditis including Hashimoto's thyroiditis (immune-mediated), and subacute thyroiditis (DeQuervain's).

Subacute thyroiditis: inflammation of the thyroid causes the gland to "leak" excess hormones, resulting in temporary hyperthyroidism that generally lasts a few weeks but may persist for months.

In such cases, a radionuclide thyroid uptake and scan can be helpful, since subacute thyroiditis will result in decreased isotope uptake, while Graves' disease will generally result in increased uptake.

Distinguishing between these two types of disease is important, since Graves' disease and Diffuse Toxic Goiter can be treated with radioiodine therapy, but subacute thyroiditis is usually self-limited and is not treated with radioiodine.

Forms of the disease are Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the US, postpartum thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis, drug-induced thyroiditis, radiation-induced thyroiditis, acute thyroiditis, and Riedel's thyroiditis.

It is sometimes called subacute thyroiditis, but there are other forms of subacute thyroiditis, subacute lymphocytic thyroiditis, post partum thyroiditis, and autoimmune thyroiditis all of which, in contrast to DeQuervain's, are typically painless or "silent".