[Hashimoto chronic thyroiditis. Retrospective analysis of 228 patients]

Chronic Hashimoto Thyroiditis (CHT) is the main cause of hypothyroidism.

To report a series of patients with CHT.

Retrospective analysis of a series of 27 men aged 38 +/- 14 years and 201 women aged 37 +/- 16 years, evaluated in the private offices of two of the authors.

Fifty six percent of patients only had unspecific symptoms at the moment of consultation, 50% had a family history of thyroid diseases and only 21% of women had a previous history of goiter. Eighty one percent of patients had clinical or subclinical hypothyroidism, 62% had both antithyroglobulin and antithyroid peroxidase positive antibodies and 13% had both antibodies negative. Only 1.4% of patients had a normal thyroid ultrasound examination. Patients were treated with levothyroxine at a mean dosage of 75 microg/day and 53% achieved an adequate TSH level. Six often patients operated due to nodules had a papillary carcinoma.

CHT should be sought in the general population, especially those with a family history of thyroid disease. Thyroid ultrasound is seldom normal in patients with CHT. Thyroid substitution should be monitored periodically to achieve adequate TSH levels.