Thyroiditis
Introduction
Thyroiditis is the medical term for inflammation (swelling) of the thyroid gland, whichcan either cause abnormally high or low levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.
The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland found in the neck. It produces hormones that are released into the bloodstream to control the body's growth and metabolism.
They affect processes such as heart rate and body temperature, and help convert food into energy to keep the body going.
There are several different types of thyroiditis. The common types are:
- Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the most common)
- Thyroiditis
- post-partum thyroiditis (triggered after giving birth)
- silent or painless thyroiditis
- drug-induced thyroiditis
- radiation-induced thyroiditis
- acute or infectious thyroiditis
The symptoms and treatment of these conditions are briefly described below.
Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 4 Jan 2017
Introduction
Thyroiditis is the medical term for inflammation (swelling) of the thyroid gland, which can either cause abnormally low or high levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition. This means your immune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid gland, causing it to gradually swell and become damaged. As the thyroid gland is slow
De Quervain's (subacute) thyroiditis
De Quervain's thyroiditis (sometimes called subacute thyroiditis) is a painful swelling of the thyroid gland that is thought to be triggered by a viral infection, such as mumps or the flu . It's mo
Post-partum thyroiditis
Like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, post-partum thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition, but it only happens in women who have recently given birth. In post-partum thyroiditis, your immune system attacks yo
Silent (painless) thyroiditis
Silent thyroiditis is very similar to post-partum thyroiditis. It is also an autoimmune condition, but is not related to giving birth and can occur in both men and women. Like postpartum thyroiditis,
Drug-induced thyroiditis
Thyroiditis can also be triggered bymedications includinginterferon,amiodarone, lithiumand a class of drugs to treat certain cancers (which include sunitinib), if thesemedicinesdamage the thyroid glan
Radiation-induced thyroiditis
Radioactive iodine treatment for an overactive thyroid gland or radiotherapy for certain cancers can also damage the thyroid gland, leading to symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland or symptoms of
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, with a problem in the development of t
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