Abstract
Thyroiditis is a collective name for several inflammatory conditions in the thyroid. In most cases, thyroiditis is caused by autoimmune mechanisms as discussed in Chap. 7. Subacute thyroiditis, which is thought to be triggered by a viral infection, is dealt with in Chap. 26. Bacterial infections of the thyroid are rare. Other causes of inflammatory reaction in the thyroid include treatment with I-131, which is sometimes associated with an inflammatory-like reaction, and external trauma to the thyroid. In some instances, medicines can cause thyroiditis.
When managing patients with thyroiditis, it is essential to clarify if the cause is autoimmune, since these patients are at risk of developing permanent hypothyroidism.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Nyström, E., Berg, G., Jansson, S., Tørring, O., Valdemarsson, S. (2011). Thyroiditis and Pathogenesis. In: Thyroid Disease in Adults. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13262-9_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13262-9_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-13261-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-13262-9
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