Suppurative thyroiditis with an abscess is a rare form of thyroiditis that can present as a diagnostic challenge. Its rarity is attributed to unique features of the thyroid gland that make it resistant to infection. Delay in diagnosis often can lead to morbid complications from the progression of the infection. Although more likely to be caused by gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative organisms are also known to cause this infection which often requires surgical treatment. The authors present a case of thyroid abscess from Escherichia coli from an unknown source.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare, but extremely aggressive, form of cancer with a high mortality rate. Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), on the other hand, including papillary and follicular subtypes, are relatively common and typically follows a more indolent course. Cases have been reported in which ATC transforms from DTC, and where DTC and ATC exist simultaneously. Given the low incidence of such cases, they have not been well studied, and the optimal treatment regimen has yet to be determined. We present a case of a 77year-old woman who was initially presented with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with focal ATC. Five months after undergoing total thyroidectomy, she returned with a new right sided neck mass. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) with biopsies of the mass and lymph node at one level revealed a smear pattern consistent with ATC. However, lymph node biopsy taken from a different level revealed a smear pattern consistent with PTC. Mutation analysis was performed and results were positive for metastatic BRAF V600-mutant ATC. The patient was then started on dabrafenib/trametinib chemotherapy. Seven months later, she was tolerating treatment well. These unique clinical features including the initial presentation and the relatively favorable survival, that is more than double that of the median survival rate for ATC, suggests that those with synchronous PTC and ATC may have a more indolent course with better prognosis than those with ATC alone. It is also possible that the relatively longer survival in our patient is due to the use of the BRAF inhibitor, dabrafenib and the MEK inhibitor, trametinib in this case with concurrent ATC and PTC. While patients with both PTC and ATC have been documented to have mutations in the BRAF V600 gene, the objective of this report is to present the relatively favorable outcomes when a therapeutic regimen is guided by mutation analysis. Future research into advanced treatment options including targeted therapy and /or immunotherapy for both DTC and ATC is needed. Somatic mutation testing may also be helpful to identify oncogenic kinase abnormalities that will inform therapeutic decision making.
Background: COVID-19 has disproportionally affected communities of color in the US. These communities exhibit higher prevalence of chronic preventable disease including type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and obesity. DM2 and obesity have been linked to higher morbidity and mortality in the setting of COVID-19 infection (1). Methods: We query data collected from 521 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 infection admitted to an inner-city community hospital in Brooklyn, New York between March 20 2020 and May 15 2020. Demographics, pre-infection medical comorbidities, laboratory data at admission and clinical outcomes including in-hospital mortality were analyzed. Results: Patients were 61 years on average (+/-17.2), 42.8% were female, 53.9% were Hispanic and 33% were African-American. Most common comorbidities included: hypertension (62%), chronic kidney disease (20.8%), diabetes (45 %). Mean BMI was 29.9 (+/- 8.2). Among patients with no prior diagnosis of diabetes mean A1c was 5.8% (+/-1.2) and 8.7 (+/-2.5) amongst those with a previous diagnosis of diabetes. Patients hospitalized with moderate to severe COVID-19 infection and a previous diagnosis of DM2 had significantly higher prevalence of CKD and HTN. Amongst those with T2DM, 19.1% presented with DKA. After adjustment for age, gender, race, BMI and creatinine obese patients, compared with normal-weight patients had significantly higher mortality rate (BMI > 30 kg/m2 [OR: 2.29, CI: 95%, P-value: <0.002]) however this association was not observed for DM2 ([OR: 1.25, CI: 95%, P-value: <0.002]). Conclusion: Our cohort represents a particular population affected by the first wave of Covid-19 infection in an urban inner-city community in NYC. The population studied had a larger proportion of African-American, Hispanic and younger patients compared to national averages; these differences are related to the demographics of the communities served by our hospital. Obesity is a negative prognostic factor in the course of Covid-19 infection in comparison to normal-weight patients. Obesity is a proinflammatory condition, associated with high levels of prothrombotic factors including angiotensin-II, also elevated in COVID-19. Understanding that link may yield valuable knowledge on the role obesity plays in numerous disease states beyond COVID-19. References:(1). Sabin ML, et al. Lancet. 2020;395(10232): 1243–44.(2). Hussain A, et al. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2020; 14(4): 295–300.
Background: Subacute thyroiditis is caused by an inflammation and a destruction of the thyroid cells, leading to hyperthyroidism due to leakage of thyroid hormones, followed by possible hypothyroidism and/or full recovery of thyroid function. This is a case report describing a rare occurrence of drug-induced thyroiditis secondary to golimumab. Clinical Case: A 79-year-old female with HTN, hyperlipidemia, dementia and rheumatoid arthritis was brought to the ER for abnormal behavior including visual hallucinating and insomnia.Initial ER evaluation showed UTI for which antibiotic therapy was initiated. Dementia workup was performed including a negative head CT, nonreactive RPR, and borderline low vitamin B12 level. TFT obtained showed low TSH of 0.2mlU/L, elevated serum FT4 of 1.72ng/ml (n=0.58-1.64ng/ml) and elevated serum FT3 4.38pg/ml (n=2.5-3.9pg/ml), suggestive of hyperthyroidism. The patient reported no heat intolerance, hyperdefecation, or weight changes, but had intermittent palpitations. She denied any history of thyroid problem and did not take thyroid medication, amiodarone, biotin, or any new drug. She reported no fever or URI symptoms within the few weeks prior to admission. In addition to prednisone and methotrexate, she was taking golimumab 50mg every 30 days for the last 22 months for RA. The patient had a family history of hypothyroidism of two daughters and sister. She denied smoking, alcohol, or any other recreational drug use. Her home medications included prednisone 5mg daily, methotrexate, folic acid, lisinopril, simvastatin, and golimumab. On physical examination, she did not appear thyrotoxic and had no exophthalmos, thyroid tenderness, thyroid enlargement or thyroid nodules. Her HR range was 80bpm.Further analysis revealed normal TSI, TPO, and TgAb levels. The thyroglobulin level was very high at 2505ng/ml (n=1.6-59.9ng/ml). Her thyroid sonogram revealed bilateral thyroid nodules, largest at 1.9cm in the right mid pole. A 24-hr RAIU scan showed very low uptake (1.8%) consistent with thyroiditis (hyperthyroid phase).Endocrinology team did not recommend any antithyroid medications. In addition, she did not warrant NSAIDs or beta blockers as she was not symptomatic or tachycardic. In the absence of an autoimmune or an obvious viral process, her subacute thyroiditis was thought to be induced by golimumab. Conclusion: TNFɑ inhibitors used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, have been rarely associated with subacute thyroiditis as described in case reports with adalimumab and etanercept use. We report the first subacute thyroiditis associated with golimumab use. We suggest that drug-induced subacute thyroiditis should be one of the differential diagnoses of thyroid dysfunction in patients treated with golimumab.
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