Figure 3.

The course of Subacute Thyroiditis (SAT). Subacute Thyroiditis is a self-limited inflammatory disorder of the thyroid gland that often follows a viral infection. The damage and rupture of follicular cells, caused by the inflammatory process, results in the release of T₃ and T₄ in circulation, inducing thyrotoxicosis symptoms in the first weeks of disease. When extensive follicular destruction occurs, subacute thyroiditis can progress to hypothyroidism before returning to the euthyroid state.