Aspergillus thyroiditis: a review of the literature to highlight clinical challenges

Aspergillus involvement of the thyroid is the most commonly reported fungal thyroiditis. Aspergillus thyroiditis (AT) has primarily been a postmortem diagnosis in immunocompromised patients with diagnosed disseminated invasive Aspergillus or high suspicion of fungal infection during life. With better treatment modalities for the comorbidities that place patients at high risk for fungal infections, as well as better antifungal therapies for Aspergillus infections specifically, the spectrum of disease and presentation of AT may be shifting from what was primarily a postmortem finding to an antemortem diagnosis, necessitating a high index of clinical suspicion and timely intervention. We present a review of the literature to better clarify clinical features, diagnostic modalities, and management considerations pertaining to this disease.