Contributor: Gordon K.Klintworth
Thyroiditis is a heterogenous group of diseases with different causes. Some are infectious [thyroiditis - infectious], autoimmune [thyroiditis - autoimmune, thyroiditis - Hashimoto], or idiopathic [thyroiditis - subacute lymphocytic, thyroiditis - Riedl].  Some types of thyroiditis are manifest primarily with thyroid dysfunction, others are accompanied by an acute illness with severe pain (infectious thyroiditis, subacute granulomatous thyroiditis) in the thyroid gland.