THYROIDITIS

any of many inflammatory diseases of the thyroid gland. Several nonspecific types of thyroiditis, both acute and chronic, may be caused by any of a number of bacterial and viral organisms. There are, however, two specific, noninfectious types of thyroiditis: (1) Hashimoto's disease (q.v.), or struma lymphomatosa, and (2) granulomatous thyroiditis (q.v.), sometimes referred to as giant cell thyroiditis, pseudotuberculous thyroiditis, or de Quervain's thyroiditis. A less common form of chronic thyroid inflammation is Riedel thyroiditis (q.v.), or struma fibrosa.