Thyroid (goiter)
Thyroiditis: acute, subacute and chronic
Short answer
Thyroiditis is inflammation of the thyroid gland and has three forms:
- acute — most often caused by bacteria;
- subacute — linked to viruses, a painful form;
- chronic — an autoimmune form, for example, Hashimoto's.
An endocrinologist can easily diagnose subacute thyroiditis. Even so, delays still happen, and the disease is wrongly assessed as “nodular goiter” or “toxic goiter.” If the correct diagnosis is made in time, it is an inflammatory process that heals completely.
Schematic illustration
General information
- Acute thyroiditis. It is most often caused by bacteria. If treatment is started early, it ends in a full recovery. Symptoms: fever, pain in the neck area.
- Subacute thyroiditis. It is caused by viruses. If it is not treated in time and correctly, it may not resolve or may come back. Symptoms:
- pain in the throat; the pain moves from place to place;
- pain spreading to the ear, jaw and back of the neck;
- before the complaints begin, often an upper respiratory tract infection with a sore throat and fever;
- pain that gets worse when the throat is touched — patients often do not even let anyone touch their neck;
- palpitations;
- slight weight loss (2–5 kg);
- low-grade fever (37–37.5 °C);
- in women, irregular periods; hair loss, nail damage.
- Chronic thyroiditis. It results from the body attacking its own cells and comes in several forms. One of them is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. The symptoms are the same as in hypothyroidism → Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
In the doctor's practice
in one patient, subacute thyroiditis was suspected on examination and the tests confirmed it: ESR and CRP were high, TSH was low, free T4 and T3 were high; HbA1c was mildly elevated. Appropriate treatment was prescribed and the patient was called back for a follow-up examination.
Q&A
Can throat pain be related to the thyroid?
Yes. Pain in the throat area does not always have a simple cause. Pain felt when swallowing, accompanied by tension in the neck or by weakness and hormonal changes, can be related to a functional disorder of the thyroid. In subacute thyroiditis, the pain spreads to the ear and jaw. Such pain definitely requires medical supervision.