Tiroiditis crónica de Hashimoto: Serie clínica / Hashimoto chronic thyroiditis: Retrospective analysis of 228 patients

ABSTRACT

Background: Chronic Hashimoto Thyroiditis (CHT) is the main cause of hypothyroidism. Aim: To report a series of patients with CHT. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of a series of 27 men aged 38 ± 14 years and 201 women aged 37 ± 16 years, evaluated in the private offces of two of the authors. Results: Fifty six percent of patients only had unspecifc symptoms at the moment of consultation, 50 percent had a family history of thyroid diseases and only 21 percent of women had a previous history of goiter. Eighty one percent of patients had clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism, 62 percent had both antithyroglobulin and antithyroid peroxidase positive antibodies and 13 percent had both antibodies negative. Only 1.4 percent of patients had a normal thyroid ultrasound examination. Patients were treated with levothyroxine at a mean dosage of 75 µg/day and 53 percent achieved an adequate TSH level. Six of ten patients operated due to nodules had a papillary carcinoma. Conclusions: CHT should be sought in the general population, especially those with a family history of thyroid disease. Thyroid ultrasound is seldom normal in patients with CHT. Thyroid substitution should be monitored periodically to achieve adequate TSH levels.