[A long-term follow-up study of patients with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis--with special reference to histological findings].

It is generally believed that in the long-term observation of chronic thyroiditis, the goiter decreases in size with thyroid hormone therapy and the thyroid function drops gradually. On the other hand, the histological changes in so-called Hashimoto's thyroiditis have been recognized to show progressive loss of epithelium and increased fibrosis. In this study, goiter size, thyroid function, thyroid microsomal and thyroglobulin antibodies and histology in needle biopsy were investigated in 75 patients with chronic thyroiditis during an interval of more than ten years. Among 75 cases, 8 (11%) were hypothyroid at the first medical examination. Among 21 cases who received no treatment, 7 (33%) became hypothyroid during the period of more than ten years. Among 54 cases with thyroid hormone therapy, 16 (30%) showed a remarkable reduction in size of goiter, but among 21 cases without thyroid hormone therapy only 3 (14%) showed a remarkable reduction. This paper discusses changes in titers of thyroidal antibodies in 47 cases. Among these 47 cases, 21 increased titer of thyroglobulin antibody during the period of more than ten years. 10 (48%) out of these 21 cases showed a remarkable reduction in size of goiter. But among 11 cases with a decrease of titer of thyroglobulin antibody, only one (9%) showed a remarkable reduction in size of goiter. On the other hand, titer of thyroid microsomal antibody increased in 33 cases. 9 (27%) out of these 33 cases showed a remarkable reduction in size of goiter. Only one (13%) of 8 cases, which decreased titer of thyroid microsomal antibody, showed a remarkable reduction in size of goiter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)