A Case Report of a Patient with Thyroid eye disease Induced by Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) result from immune system dysregulation. Among them are Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, etc. Approximately 3% of patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis may develop orbitopathy. Thyroid eye disease (TED), is an organ-specific autoimmune reaction that primarily affects the eyes and surrounding tissues. The aim of this case report is to present a rare condition of a female patient who was diagnosed with exophthalmos nine years after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman presented to our department with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. Her medical history revealed that she was diagnosed with HT nine years ago and had been receiving L-thyroxine treatment throughout this period. However, her condition remained uncompensated, and in the past year, she developed bilateral exophthalmos as a complication.

CONCLUSION: Exophthalmos is generally more strongly associated with Graves’ disease, a form of hyperthyroidism. However, it can also occur in some patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, although it is less common.

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