Endocrinol Metab.  2012 Jun;27(2):147-150. 10.3803/EnM.2012.27.2.147.

A Case of Painless Thyroiditis Followed by Graves' Disease

• Na GJ
• Kim JH
• Park SY
• Kim KW
• Ko HJ
• Jeon SW
• Kim YJ
• Kim SJ

• KMID: 1497655
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2012.27.2.147

Abstract

A 30-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of fatigue, palpitation and severe weakness of both legs. The admission laboratory findings revealed thyrotoxicosis, and 131I thyroid scintigraphic imaging revealed a low radioactive iodine uptake. He was treated for painless thyroiditis for about 4 months. However, thyrotoxic state had continued and radioactive iodine uptake was markedly increased in the follow up scan. Painless thyroiditis often relapses, but rarely develops into Graves' disease. This is a rare case in which painless thyroiditis was followed by Graves' disease.

Keyword

Graves disease; Thyroiditis; Thyrotoxicosis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Fatigue
Follow-Up Studies
Graves Disease
Humans
Iodine
Leg
Recurrence
Thyroid Gland
Thyroiditis
Thyrotoxicosis
Iodine

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Radioactive iodine uptake shows decreased radioactivity as 1.2% at 4 hours and 1.1% at 24 hours.

• 

  Fig. 2 A. Three months later after taking propranolol, radioactive iodine uptake shows increased radioactivity as 46.4% at 4 hours and 71.2% at 24 hours without any thyroid nodule. B. I131 whole body scan reveals no ectopic thyroid or any abnormal uptake.

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