Table 1.

Demographic characteristics and laboratory findings at disease onset of patients with subacute thyroiditis and papillary thyroid cancer

Cases	Age	Sex	FT3 (pmol/L) (3.1–6.8)	FT4 (pmol/L) (12–22)	TSH (miU/L) (0.27–4.2)	CRP (mg/L) (0–5)	ESR (mm/h) (0–20)	∗Tc 99m /RAI Uptake (%) (0.3–3 vs. 20–50)	Ultrasonography
1	42	F	NA	19.9	0.2	NA	55	Low/0.2	3.2 cm hypoechoic nodule
2	56	F	6.73	26.3	0.009	NA	34	0.06/1.35	Diffuse HEAs, 2.2 cm hypo-isoechoic nodule
3	56	F	4.5	21.1	0.68	125.0	100	0.59/NA focal hypoactivity	1.8 cm focal HEA, 0.7 cm hypoechoic nodule with microcalcification
4	51	M	NA	44.2	0.01	NA	91	Low/NA	Focal HEAs, 1.6 cm isoechoic nodule
5	52	F	7.01	24.7	0.02	15.6	60	Low/NA	2.4 cm heterogenous nodule with calcification and 1.1 cm isoechoic nodule
6	45	F	13	45	0.005	138.8	132	Low/NA	2.2 cm hypoechoic, 1.9 cm isoechoic nodules

CRP =C-reactive protein; ESR = erythrocyte sedimentation rate; F = female; FT3 = free triiodothyronine; FT4 = free thyroxine; HEA = hypoechogenic area; M = male; NA, not available; RAI = radioactive iodine; Tc 99m = Technetium-99m; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone

^∗All of the patients had Technetium-99m scintigraphy, additionally some of them had either Technetium-99m uptake or 24-h RAI uptake.