Thyroid problems are among the most common health issues faced by people around the world. According to an article published on Science Direct, nearly 200 million people are affected by some form of thyroid disorder. These conditions are generally described under the medical term thyroiditis.
Thyroiditis refers to inflammation of the thyroid gland, which usually begins with swelling in the early stages. When the thyroid becomes inflamed or does not function properly, it affects the production of two important hormones called thyroxine, also known as tetraiodothyronine, and triiodothyronine, or T3.
These hormones play a key role in controlling the body’s metabolism and help convert the food a person eats into energy needed for daily activities. There are several different types of thyroiditis that a person may experience.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:
It is an autoimmune disorder where the defense mechanism of your body mistakenly attacks the thyroid gland and its cells. As a result, the gland becomes unable to produce thyroxin.
Subacute Thyroiditis:
Subacute thyroiditis is an acute disease of the thyroid gland caused by a virus. It is a painful condition which often leads to upper respiratory tract infections as well.
Acute Thyroiditis:
Different from subacute thyroiditis, it is usually the inflammation and impairment of the thyroid gland due to bacterial infection of the organ.
Post partum Thyroiditis:
Also known as silent or painless thyroiditis, occurs in women when their thyroid gland inflames after giving birth to a baby. It is rare and only affects a small ratio of women.
Drug induced Thyroiditis:
Some drugs that a person consumes can also stimulate inflammation of the thyroid gland as either a side effect of the drug or the immune response of the body. A few of these chemicals include, amiodarone and lithium while the immune response occurs because of interferons and cytokines.
Radiation induced thyroiditis:
Its is a painful type of thyroiditis as a result of radioactive therapy to treat hyperthyroidism (excess of thyroid hormone) head and neck cancer as well as lymphoma (a broad term for cancer of the lymph system).
These are the main types of thyroiditis a person may go through. They can be diagnosed via clinical testing and diagnosis and can be managed by taking medicines according to the prescription of your physician or endocrinologist.
