Thyroiditis

There are a number of different reasons for an inflamed thyroid.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis

This is the name for the inflammation that happens when your immune system attacks your thyroid. The inflammation damages your thyroid and makes it underactive.

Postpartum thyroiditis

This is thyroid inflammation that happens to some women about 6 months after giving birth. It's caused by your immune system attacking your thyroid. Most women who get it have symptoms of an overactive thyroid for a few weeks then get symptoms of an underactive thyroid.

Postpartum thyroiditis is usually temporary and usually goes away when your baby is about 1 year old. But some women continue having an underactive thyroid and need to take thyroxine tablets.

Painless thyroiditis

This is similar to postpartum thyroiditis but can occur in men and women. It usually causes an overactive then underactive thyroid. Most people get better after 12–18 months.

Subacute thyroiditis

This happens after you've had a virus, such as the mumps or flu. It usually causes pain in your thyroid and an overactive thyroid at first, followed by an underactive thyroid.

The symptoms depend on what type you have and how long you've had it. You may have the symptoms of an overactive thyroid, such as anxiety, shaking, weight loss and a racing heart. If your thyroid has become underactive, you may feel tired, feel cold, gain weight and be unhappy or depressed.

You may also get pain or swelling of your thyroid.

The image below shows the location of the thyroid. 

Image credit: Canva

Read more about overactive thyroid and underactive thyroid.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based on your symptoms and blood test results. You may also have a nuclear medicine scan(external link) of your thyroid.

Treatment

If you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis, you'll need to take thyroxine tablets for the rest of your life. These replace the hormones that your thyroid should be making.

If you have any of the other types of thyroiditis, you may get better without any treatment. But if the symptoms of an overactive thyroid are bothering you, your doctor may prescribe a beta blocker such as propranolol to help settle the shakes and a racing heart.

An anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen can help if the inflammation is causing you pain. A few people may also need steroids to help treat the inflammation.