[Further clinical analysis on the prognosis of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis]

There have been many reports on the incidence of hypothyroidism and thyroid carcinoma in chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis patients, however, the incidence of thyroid carcinoma had been a widely debated issue. Therefore 300 cases of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis from 1964 to 1995 were reviewed. There were 37 males and 263 females, and 52 had a pathological diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

Among 300 patients, 2 had coexistent thyroid papillary carcinoma. The original symptom in 64.3% patients was hypothyroidism, and the total incidence of hypothyroidism was 76%. It was also indicated in this study that the occurrence of hypothyroidism in chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis patient was associated with the elevated level of antithyroglobulin antibody, enlargement and tenderness of thyroid gland.

In our study, as the low incidence of coexisted thyroid carcinoma, with the high incidence of hypothyroidism it seemed to be that the elevated antithyroglobulin antibody could be a more effective factor in the development of hypothyroidism in chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.