Unique Features of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in Coastal South India – a study from a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune disorder of thyroid gland. It is one of thecommon causes of hypothyroidism and is common in females. Generally, Hashimoto’s thyroiditisclinically presents as diffuse enlargement of the thyroid and nodular lesions are uncommon. But fewrecent studies from South India have shown that Hashimoto’s frequently presents as nodularenlargement of the thyroid. Such lesions can be easily confused with nodular goitre. Objectivesand Aim: Aim of the study is to study the clinicopathological features of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis andto estimate the frequency of nodular lesions in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in a tertiary care healthcentre in coastal South India. Materials and Methods: The present study was done retrospectivelyon patients diagnosed as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis by fine-needle aspiration cytology during the periodJune 2017 to June 2020. Their clinical details, clinical examination findings including diffuse/nodularnature of the swelling, thyroid hormone status and ultrasound findings were studied. Results: In thepresent study, 102 cases of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis were included, which includes 91 females and 11males. Patients age ranged from 15 to 63 years with a peak in the fourth decade. Fifty-five cases(53.9%) were hypothyroid and 43 (42.2%) were euthyroid. Fifty cases (49%) presented as nodularlesion out of which 47 cases had multiple nodules. Conclusion: Nodular enlargement of the thyroidis a common finding in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients. Such cases should not be mistaken fornodular goitre as there is a risk of malignancy in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.