Thyroiditis. A disease with many faces.

Inflammatory conditions of the thyroid are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Older and middle-aged women are most often affected, and the clinical course may be acute, subacute, or chronic. Differentiating the various forms of thyroiditis can be difficult, because they often mimic other disease processes and each other. Diagnosis requires an awareness of the distinguishing characteristics of each type of thyroiditis as well as the overlapping features.