A Case of Graves' Disease Following Subacute Thyroiditis

Subacute thyroiditis is a spontaneously resolving inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland, which is usually associated with a viral infection and genetic factors. In some cases of this disorder, thyroid autoantibodies can appear, probably due to the inflammatory release of thyroid antigens, althoughtheir pathophysiological role in the course of this disease is not yet fully understood. The occurrence of Graves’ disease after subacute thyroiditis is extremely rare, and only a few cases have been reported. Here, we report a case of a middle-aged woman who developed Graves’ disease after subacute thyroiditis. (Korean J Med 2011;80:595-599)