What you need to know about thyroiditis and its diagnosis

When diagnosed Thyroiditis we are before Inflammation of the thyroid gland. When any part of our body is attacked, it swells. “Inflammation is a pathological change characterized by circulatory disorders, in which heat, redness, swelling, edema and pain are the most frequent features,” explains Dr. Pedro Pablo Ortiz RemachaEndocrinologist and Thyroid Pathologist. What happens if the thyroid gland is inflamed? “There is a tendency in cases of thyroiditis First, more thyroid hormone is produced And then reduce its production when the thyroid is destroyed, depending on the primary cause,” the expert details.

Are there different types of thyroiditis?

As the doctor assured us, we indeed have Different types of thyroid inflammation or thyroiditis. Schematically we find:

• Infectious thyroiditis: Bacterial or viral, produced by an external agent that damages our thyroid and causes inflammation. Bacterial infections are rare and severe, viral infections are more frequent and subacute. Both They usually cause localized pain and are short-lived. Over time, the problem is resolved within a few months.
• Postpartum thyroiditis: Frequent and related after the birth of a child, a production Transient hyperthyroidism Which can end up with hypothyroidism which is not very significant but requires long-term, sometimes supplemental hormone treatment.
• Autoimmune Thyroiditis: Episodes of hyper and hypothyroidism are currently the most frequent and difficult to diagnose due to the variety of symptoms associated with mood effects and other autoimmune pathologies affecting the skin, digestive or locomotor systems.. They are usually long lasting and often requires treatment.
• Drug thyroiditis: There are some heart treatments such as amiodarone or chemotherapy or interferon treatments that can damage the thyroid, causing inflammation and slow and irreversible loss of function.

Possible causes of thyroiditis

Dr. Ortiz Remacha confirmed, therefore, that behind this inflammation may be an autoimmune problem or an infection caused by a virus.

• Usually viral thyroiditis Appears after a viral infection such as pharyngitis And they usually cause fever and neck pain that increases when we palpate the thyroid.
• Meanwhile, he explains that autoimmune thyroiditis has a cause that is more difficult to determine. A stressful situation for the patient, organic and/or psychological, that triggers the autoimmune process. The body starts making antithyroid antibodies which is directed against the thyroid gland and attacks it. This attack causes inflammation with a greater or lesser degree of destruction of the thyroid structure and cells, resulting in an inflammatory process or autoimmune or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

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What are your symptoms?

• There are early symptoms that depend on thyroid inflammation, such as: Enlargement, pain that increases with palpation or rubbing with clothingGeneral restlessness, which appears in the beginning.
• In this early stage, there is usually an increase in thyroid hormone production with typical symptoms of hyperthyroidism, e.g. Heat, shivering, tachycardia, nervousness, insomnia and agitation.
• As the process continues over time, the destruction of the thyroid leads to the end stage of hypothyroidism as less thyroid hormone is produced than needed and the symptoms are completely reversed. Effects of cold, weight gain, fatigue, extreme sleepiness, depressed mood and general condition.
• Between early stages of hyperthyroidism and late stages of hypothyroidism, especially in autoimmune thyroiditis, Symptoms are very variableDifficult to explain, eg the patient is tired but nervous, irritable and depressed at the same time, euphoric at times and tired after a while. It is a combination of symptoms that is difficult for the patient, his environment and the doctor to diagnose.

How are these health problems diagnosed?

The doctor is clear about this: A patient with thyroiditis is not feeling well. “You detect in your body that something is wrong, you can continue your life, your work, but you are not as normal. These early symptoms should alert the patient and they should go to the referring doctor,” he told us.

Therefore, the specialist doctor must explain, a Thorough medical historyPossibility of thyroid involvement. Palpation of the thyroid, along with pain, inflammation, and local heat, already indicates which complementary tests you should request to confirm the diagnosis.

“Give Thyroid ultrasound and blood tests including complete blood count, thyroid function and antithyroid antibodies They will find the diagnosis. A high level of antibody does not always present severe symptoms for the patient; and vice versa. Some antibodies sometimes create more symptoms that we need to address in treatment as well,” he elaborated.

How is thyroiditis treated?

Once diagnosed, what is the treatment of choice? According to the doctor, the treatment should be based on different aspects.

• Look for normal thyroid function. First, find out whether the patient is in the hyper or hypothyroid stage through blood test results and choose the appropriate medicine to normalize the thyroid function. The most common is treatment with thyroid hormones, which should be taken half an hour before breakfast every day. Dose adjustment will depend on the patient’s symptoms and the evaluation of thyroid hormones in blood tests necessary for proper adjustment.
• Patient quality of life. We also need to address the patient’s symptoms and ensure their quality of life and adequate rest through various medications or supplements. A therapeutic approach to your mood is often necessary because of the psychological symptoms that accompany thyroid disease.
• Patient follow-up. Thyroiditis is usually a chronic disease. Thyroid function, the ecosystem of your gland, and daily symptoms must be checked periodically. Scheduling consultation and medium and long-term follow-up is appropriate in all cases.

Prognosis of people with thyroiditis

Finally, we wonder what the prognosis is for a person with this health problem. “Thyroiditis usually ends with hypothyroidism. A multidisciplinary approach, treatment to achieve adequate thyroid function, therapeutic attention to the most interesting symptoms, monitoring of your mood and reinforcement in emotional management, adequate nutrition and supplementation in each case and patient education, where you know your condition and your Explains the symptoms that can predict the deterioration of your thyroid, the factors that must be taken into account and that guarantee a very good prognosis for this disease,” recommends the doctor. do

And send a warning for the future: Hypothyroidism secondary to autoimmune thyroiditis will develop Its prevalence in the coming years. First aid is much easier than when it is highly advanced. We need to pay attention to what our thyroid tells us, it’s worth listening to.