I have a small thyroid gland, mild hyperthyroidism, and my physician is not sure if I have thyroiditis or Graves disease. Is there a way to find out?
Classically, an iodine uptake test will show low iodine uptake in the setting of thyroiditis, and elevated iodine uptake in active Graves’ disease. If disease symptoms are mild, it is not unusual to defer carrying out such a test, and simply observe the patient. Thyroiditis will often improve without treatment over weeks to months, whereas Graves’ disease is much less likely to improve spontaneously. In some settings, such as the recovery phase of thyroiditis, an iodine uptake may be elevated, and it may be difficult to distinguish Graves’ disease from thyroiditis using the iodine uptake result alone.
