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Fukazawa et al., Morioka, Japan, reported that in 321 patients (37 men,
284 women) who were seen between 1979 and 1994, with subacute thyroiditis
(De Quervain's thyroiditis) recurrence of the disease occured in 2 patients
within 2 years, in 1 in less than 5 years, in 4 between 5 and 10 years,
and in 11 between 10 and 16 years. Not all symptoms of recurrences were
milder than the first attack. The incidence of HLA-DR4 was higher in patients
with recurrent attacks than those who had no recurrences.
A similar study was reported by Iitaka et al., Tokyo, Japan, who studied 3,344 patients with subacute thyroiditis between 1970 and 1993. Recurrences occured in 48 patients while 5 patients had a third recurrence. Their results suggest, in contrast to the previous one, that recurrent attacks were usually milder than the first attack. Mizokami et al., Fukuoka, Japan, reported 4 patients known to have a hemorrhagic degeneration in a thyroid nodule, in whom a rupture of the nodule occurred with a clinical picture mimicking subacute thyroiditis. |
