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Published on: September 20, 2024
Subacute thyroiditis with airway compromise in a 5-year-old boy
Pardha Ramineni1, Sowmini Padmanabh Kamath2, Jayateertha Joshi3
1Paediatrics, Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Insights
Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) in children is rare, especially when causing airway compression. Prompt diagnosis and steroid treatment resolved symptoms and tracheal narrowing in a pediatric case.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Internal Medicine
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is an uncommon inflammatory condition of the thyroid gland.
- While typically self-limiting, SAT can rarely present with severe complications like airway compression, particularly in pediatric populations.
- This case highlights an unusual presentation of SAT in a child.
Abstract:
A 5-year-old boy presented with intermittent fever for 1 month, painful neck swelling associated with dysphagia, hoarseness of voice for 3 weeks and dyspnoea of 1-day duration. On evaluation, he had elevated serum thyroglobulin levels and inflammatory markers. There was a diffuse glandular thyroid enlargement with hypoechoic areas on neck ultrasonography. Fine-needle aspiration cytology was suggestive of subacute thyroiditis (SAT), and MRI of the neck confirmed narrowing of the trachea by the enlarged thyroid. He received steroids to relieve airway compression. Levothyroxine was started. On follow-up, he was symptom-free and euthyroid; steroids and levothyroxine were discontinued. SAT presenting with compression of trachea is rare in children. This highlights the need for identifying the type of thyroiditis to determine treatment modality.
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