methimazole and Thyroiditis--Subacute

Topics: Antithyroid Agents; Autoantibodies; Diagnosis, Differential; Graves Disease; Humans; Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; Methimazole; Receptors, Thyrotropin; Thyroid Function Tests; Thyroiditis, Subacute; Thyrotoxicosis

Subacute thyroiditis is a common inflammatory disorder of the thyroid gland, possibly of viral etiology, that typically presents with neck pain, fever and tenderness on palpation of the thyroid gland. Graves' disease is an autoimmune thyroid disorder caused by stimulation of the thyroid gland by thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb). The development of Graves´ disease and subacute thyroiditis simultaneously is an uncommon condition and only a few cases have been reported. In this article we present a case of a 46-year old woman diagnosed with Graves´ disease who was started on thiamazole and weeks later developed high fever. Several differential diagnoses were considered such as infection, lymphoma and vasculitis due to thiamazole. Finally, the fine needle aspiration of the thyroid gland displayed histopathological features of subacute thyroiditis. Remarkably, our patient did not have neck pain or tenderness on palpation of the thyroid gland and overall the clinical presentation of subacute thyroiditis was atypical. Thus, subacute thyroiditis may be considered as a potential cause of fever of unknown origin.

Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antithyroid Agents; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Graves Disease; Humans; Methimazole; Middle Aged; Prednisolone; Thyroiditis, Subacute

Topics: Adult; Bisoprolol; Electrocardiography; Female; Humans; Methimazole; Prednisolone; Tachycardia, Ventricular; Thyroiditis, Subacute

We present a case of a 40-years-old woman with an acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) associated with recent instauration hyperthyroidism symptoms. A Graves' disease was diagnosed and the patient was initially controlled with antithyroid drugs. The epitheliopathy evolution was relatively favourable without relapse. Two years later a thyroidectomy was performed.. We have not found in the literature any APMPPE case associated with Graves' disease. We only found an APMPPE case associated with a subacute thyroiditis. Little is known about the APMPPE causes, it could be that placoid epitheliopathy and Graves' disease had a common autoimmune origin. We can not forget that our finding could be only a matter of chance.

Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Antithyroid Agents; Choroid; Combined Modality Therapy; Female; Fluorescein Angiography; Graves Disease; Hormone Replacement Therapy; Humans; Ischemia; Methimazole; Pigment Epithelium of Eye; Radiography; Retinal Diseases; Thyroidectomy; Thyroiditis, Subacute; Thyroxine

Adhesion molecules relate to cell invasion of autoimmune thyroid disease. We studied plasma soluble P-Selectin (platelet activation-dependent granule-external membrane protein), E-Selectin (endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule) and L-Selectin (leukocyte endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1) levels in patients with Graves' disease before and during methimazole treatment. Plasma P-, E- and L-Selectin levels in patients with untreated Graves' disease were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. Plasma P-Selectin levels decreased when their thyroid functions were normal for more than 6 months after the start of methimazole treatment. No significant change in plasma E- and L-Selectin levels in patients with Graves' disease was found between hyperthyroid state and euthyroid state after the start of methimazole treatment, but plasma L-Selectin levels in patients with untreated Graves' disease were significantly lower than those in the patients in the first euthyroid state. There was no significant correlation between plasma P-Selectin levels and serum FT4 levels, nor between plasma P-Selectin levels and serum FT3 levels. These results suggested that thyroid hormones might reflect expression of P-, L- and E-Selectin from endothelial cells, or lymphocytes, or platelets in patients with Graves' disease.

Topics: Adult; Antithyroid Agents; Autoantibodies; E-Selectin; Female; Graves Disease; Humans; L-Selectin; Male; Methimazole; Middle Aged; P-Selectin; Receptors, Thyrotropin; Thyroiditis, Subacute; Thyrotropin; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine

In order to investigate the extrapituitary action of TRH on the thyroid, serum T3, T4, and TSH levels after im administration of TRH were analyzed in 63 patients with untreated hyperthyroid Graves' disease, in 60 euthyroid patients with treated Graves' disease, in 8 patients with subacute thyroiditis, and in 140 healthy subjects. TRH administration in the healthy subjects resulted in a significant increase in serum T3 and T4 levels after 2 h. However, in the patients with untreated hyperthyroid Graves' disease, a significant decrease in serum T3 and T4 levels with undetectable TSH was found 2 h after TRH administration. In the patients with subacute thyroiditis, serum T3 levels also significantly decreased after TRH administration. When a decrease in serum T3 and T4 levels after TRH administration in the patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease was analyzed in terms of thyroid microsomal antibody and thyroglobulin antibody, a decrease in serum T3 and T4 levels was largest in patients with thyroid microsomal antibody and thyroglobulin antibody. In contrast, an increase in serum T3 and T4 levels in response to TRH in the euthyroid patients with Graves' disease was largest in patients without thyroid autoantibodies. It is concluded that TRH acts directly on the thyroid to suppress the thyroid hormone secreting activity in the absence of circulating TSH and that thyroid autoantibodies affect thyroidal response after TRH administration.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Autoantibodies; Child; Female; Graves Disease; Humans; Male; Methimazole; Middle Aged; Reference Values; Thyroid Gland; Thyroiditis, Subacute; Thyrotropin; Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine

To investigate the relationships between lymphocyte subsets and thyroid function, peripheral blood lymphocytes were analysed with cell surface antigens of activated (HLA-DR+) T, helper T (CD4+ 2H4-, CD4+ 4B4+) and suppressor-inducer T (CD4+ 2H4+, CD4+ 4B4-) cells subsets in 56 patients with Graves' disease, 16 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 7 patients with typical subacute thyroiditis and 2 patients with the thyrotoxic phase of autoimmune thyroiditis. Both patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis had increased percentages of HLA-DR+ T (Ia+ CD3+) cells as well as HLA-DR+ helper-inducer T (Ia+ CD4+) cells, which seemed to be independent of treatments. The percentage of HLA-DR+ suppressor-cytotoxic T (Ia+ CD8+) cells was increased in euthyroid or hypothyroid patients with Graves' disease following treatment, but was normal in hyperthyroid patients. The percentages of Ia+ CD4+ cells and Ia+ CD8+ were also increased in patients with thyroiditis, whereas these abnormal values normalized in the remission phase. These findings suggest that an increase in Ia+ CD4+ cells characteristically occurs during immune system activation in patients with hyperthyroid Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the thyrotoxic phase of subacute thyroiditis, whereas the activated CD8+ cells in Graves' disease are induced by antithyroidal therapy.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Autoantibodies; CD4 Antigens; CD8 Antigens; Female; Flow Cytometry; Graves Disease; HLA-DR Antigens; Humans; Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; Iodine; Male; Methimazole; Middle Aged; Propylthiouracil; T-Lymphocyte Subsets; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune; Thyroiditis, Subacute