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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The term &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-key-types-of-thyroiditis-3233166&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;thyroiditis&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; refers generally to any disorder that involves inflammation of your thyroid gland. Thyroiditis is typically divided into two broad categories -- painless and painful -- that characterize the degree of pain they cause to patients.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Painless thyroiditis is also frequently referred by a number of other names, including silent thyroiditis, subacute lymphocytic thyroiditis,\u00A0atypical subacute thyroiditis, transient thyrotoxicosis with low RAIU, hyperthyroiditis, and lymphocytic thyroiditis with spontaneously resolving hyperthyroidism.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While some forms of thyroiditis are accompanied by thyroid enlargement -- known as goiter -- in painless thyroiditis, the thyroid gland usually does not become enlarged.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;What Causes Painless Thyroiditis?&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If you have painless thyroiditis, you are considered to have a form of autoimmune thyroid disease, like Hashimoto&amp;amp;#39;s thyroiditis, except that in many cases, it will resolve over time and your thyroid will return to normal function.\u00A0The causes of most autoimmune diseases are not known or well understood. \u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Certain medications are also known to cause painless thyroiditis. If you are taking the following medications, it&amp;amp;#39;s important to be aware that they may cause painless thyroiditis in some patients:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Interferon-alfa -- a medication used to treat some viral infections and cancers&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Interleukin-2 -- a medication used as a cancer treatment&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Amiodarone -- a medication used to treat an irregular heartbeat&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Lithium -- a mood stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorder&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Symptoms&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In some cases, painless thyroiditis will have no symptoms. But the condition may also be accompanied by symptoms, especially &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000356.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;hyperthyroidism&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0symptoms in the early stages.\u00A0These symptoms may last for up to three months, and may include:\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Fatigue&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Weakness in muscles&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Frequent bowel movements, loose bowels, diarrhea&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Intolerance to heat, increased sweating&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;An increased appetite&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Increased food intake without weight gain, or unexpected weight loss&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Irregular menstrual periods&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Feeling nervous, anxious, restless, or irritable\u00A0&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Heart palpitations&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Insomnia\u00A0&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Later, your symptoms may shift to those of an underactive thyroid (&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000353.htm&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;hypothyroidism&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;), and may include including fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, depression, and cold intolerance.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Some people only notice the hypothyroid symptoms and do not have symptoms of hyperthyroidism.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;The Course of Painless Thyroiditis&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It&amp;amp;#39;s estimated that painless thyroiditis may be the cause for as much as 10 to 20 percent of cases of\u00A0hyperthyroidism -- an overactive\u00A0thyroid -- and 10 percent of hypothyroidism.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Painless thyroiditis frequently resolves itself within two to four months, but in some cases, it can last as long as a year. It&amp;amp;#39;s estimated that over time, as many as 95 percent of patients will return to normal thyroid function.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It&amp;amp;#39;s important for your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis, because in most cases, specific thyroid treatment such as\u00A0antithyroid drugs\u00A0or thyroid hormone replacement therapy are not necessary.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Diagnosis&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Diagnosis of painless thyroiditis typically involves a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/clinical-evaluation-for-thyroid-disease-3232897&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;thorough clinical examination&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, including a manual examination of your thyroid gland, TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 tests, and radioactive iodine uptake (RAI-U) in some cases. RAI-U shows decreased uptake in painless thyroiditis. Less commonly, a thyroid biopsy -- known as a &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/fine-needle-aspiration-fna-biopsy-of-the-thyroid-3231745&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; -- may be performed to make a definitive diagnosis.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Treatment&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Painless thyroiditis is frequently a\u00A0short-term, transient condition, and typically doesn&amp;amp;#39;t cause severe thyroid dysfunction.\u00A0When treatment is needed, it is usually for the symptoms. So, for example, if you are experiencing a high heart rate or palpitations during a hyperthyroid phase of painless thyroiditis, you might be prescribed a short course of a beta blocking drug. Or if you have a prolonged hypothyroid phase, you may be prescribed a course of thyroid hormone replacement medication until the thyroid gradually returns to normal functioning.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Around\u00A020 percent of patients do develop chronic hypothyroidism or recurrent thyroiditis, however, so it is important to have periodic\u00A0followup with your physician.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Burman, Kenneth. Ross, Douglas. Martin, Kathryn. &amp;amp;#34;Overview of thyroiditis.&amp;amp;#34; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;UpToDate&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;. Accessed: August 22, 2008.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;cite&amp;gt;Schwartz F, Bergmann N, Zerahn B, Faber J. Incidence rate of symptomatic painless thyroiditis presenting with thyrotoxicosis in Denmark as evaluated by consecutive thyroid scintigraphies. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 2013; 73:240.&amp;lt;/cite&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/subacute-lymphocytic-painless-thyroiditis-3233204>