The clinician and the thyroid.
The goiter prevalence in iodine-deficient regions is up to 25%-54%. The most frequent disease in these endemic areas is non-toxic goiter, which is, however, oftentimes connected with autonomously functioning thyroid tissue leading to borderline or overt hyperthyroidism. Other thyroid diseases like cancer, thyroiditis and hypothyroidism play only a minor role in a thyroid clinic, while cases of Graves' disease may be observed more frequently. The most cost-effective tools to evaluate thyroid patients are the hand, ear and mouth of the thyroid clinician. The differential diagnosis of thyroid disorders may be evaluated by a battery of diagnostic tools like in-vitro tests and high performance imaging modalities. Once the diagnosis is established, the appropriate therapeutic procedures (drugs, radioiodine, surgery) have to be chosen. This review should be considered as a guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases. In addition, special problems concerning elderly patients and pregnant women are discussed, including the differential diagnosis of thyroid diseases.
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany.
H J
HJ
Biersack
A
A
Hotze
D000367:Age Factors; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests