ABSTRACT
A series of cases of clinically diagnosed subacute thyroiditis comprising 11 patients is reported. Studies on the iodine metabolism, electrophoretic distribution of the serum proteins and the responsiveness to TSH were carried out. The patients were observed for periods up to 16 months from the onset of the disease.
In the early phase there was an elevation of the serum PBI in a few cases and hyperthyroid signs in some, accompanied by depressed thyroid uptake of radioactive iodine and a fairly good response to TSH. Later, the thyroid grew hard and the iodine metabolism changed. In several cases there was a marked increase in the conversion ratio and the serum PB131I level. The responses to TSH was variable for different parameters of thyroid function, suggesting a state of »low thyroid reserve« as defined by Jefferies et al. (1956). Hypothyroidism developed in 3 cases; in two of them there was a response to exogenous TSH, in the third no response was seen at this stage of the disease. Cortisone and synthetic analogues seem to be of great benefit in the treatment of the acute symptoms of the disease.
Varied impacts on outpatient services among departments and divisions in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic
