Subacute Thyroiditis – An Underestimated Diagnosis: Description of a Case Series

Subacute thyroiditis is a relatively rare thyroid disease that develops after acute viral upper respiratory tract infection and manifests with neck pain, fever and transient hyperthyroidism. The diagnosis is often delayed due to the non-specific presentation and laboratory findings. It is misdiagnosed with upper respiratory tract infections, cervical lymph-adenitis, even with acute pyelonephritis. The authors present a series of 12 patients with subacute thyroiditis and discuss the main steps in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment of this disease.