Is chronic thyroiditis serious? It turns out to be like this

Chronic thyroiditis is a relatively common disease in daily life. There are usually no obvious symptoms when the disease first occurs, so it is often ignored by people. So how serious is chronic thyroiditis? Most people don't quite understand this. In fact, chronic thyroiditis itself is not serious, but if it is not treated in time, it will become serious.

1. Is chronic thyroiditis serious?

Chronic thyroiditis is a disease that many people suffer from. It is hidden in the early stages of the disease, and not many patients discover the disease. Generally, symptoms of the disease are discovered in the middle stages. Therefore, many patients have questions, is it serious to suffer from chronic thyroiditis? In fact, this disease is not serious. It can be cured with treatment after the patient discovers the disease. However, if the disease is discovered too late, the symptoms increase, and the disease will worsen and change. Further treatment will be complicated and the condition will be more serious.

Second, the treatment of chronic thyroiditis includes:

(1) Thyroxine treatment: When the thyroid gland is significantly enlarged or accompanied by hypothyroidism, thyroxine treatment can be given. L-T4 or thyroid powder (tablets) can be used. Generally, it starts with a low dose, 40-60 mg/d of thyroxine tablets, 50-100 μg/d of L-T4, and gradually increases the dose to 120-180 mg/d or 100-200 μg/d, respectively, until the gland begins to shrink and the TSH level drops to normal. After that, the dosage is gradually adjusted according to individual differences, and the dosage is reduced to a maintenance dose based on thyroid function and TSH levels. The course of treatment is generally 1 to 2 years. The medication can be stopped after the goiter improves and thyroid function returns to normal. Generally speaking, the more obvious the thyroid enlargement, the more significant the treatment effect. Some patients may relapse within a few years after stopping medication and can be given thyroxine treatment again.

Most CLT patients have a tendency to develop hypothyroidism, so follow-up examinations should be paid attention to, and treatment should be given when hypothyroidism occurs.

(2) Antithyroid treatment: Hashimoto's hyperthyroidism should be treated with antithyroid treatment, which can be treated with methimazole (methimazole) or propylthiouracil (PTU), but the dose should be lower than that used to treat Graves' disease, and the medication should not be taken for too long. If it is transient hyperthyroidism (clinical manifestation type), symptomatic treatment can be carried out with only beta-blockers, such as propranolol (Inderal) or metoprolol (Betaloc).

(3) Glucocorticoid treatment: For subacute onset, when thyroid pain and swelling are obvious, prednisone (15-30 mg/d) can be used for treatment. The dosage can be gradually reduced after symptoms improve. The medication should be used for 1-2 months. Glucocorticoids can increase T3 and T4 levels by inhibiting autoimmune responses. However, the efficacy of prednisone is not long-lasting, and relapses are common after discontinuation of the drug. If pain recurs, prednisone can be used again. However, the use of hormones is generally not recommended for cases of obvious hypothyroidism.

After non-surgical treatment, the enlarged thyroid of most CLT patients can gradually return to normal, the thyroid nodules felt during the physical examination may disappear or shrink, and the tough thyroid may become soft, but the thyroid antibody titer may remain at a high level for a long time.