Case Report: Intracranial hypertension occurring in association with subacute thyroiditis

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a self-limited inflammatory thyroid disorder that typically produces a transient thyrotoxic phase. Intracranial hypertension (IH) is a rare but potentially sight-threatening complication of thyrotoxicosis, reported almost exclusively in hyperthyroidism, with only a single previous report linking it to SAT....

Continue reading at PubMed →

Audiologists and vestibular specialists should be aware that subacute thyroiditis can rarely co-present with intracranial hypertension, which may mimic audiovestibular symptoms; refer to neurology when this combination is suspected.

Intracranial hypertension can produce audiovestibular symptoms that overlap with common inner-ear disorders, and this case highlights an underrecognised thyroid-related differential diagnosis that could prevent mismanagement.

1. 01A case report documents rare co-occurrence of subacute thyroiditis and intracranial hypertension.
2. 02Elevated intracranial pressure can produce audiovestibular symptoms mimicking inner-ear pathology.
3. 03Differential diagnosis implications are relevant for audiologists and vestibular clinicians.
4. 04Published in Frontiers in Neurology (2026); evidence is limited to a single case.
5. 05Highlights the importance of endocrine history-taking in patients with unexplained vestibular or auditory symptoms.

PMID

42824399

DOI

10.3389/fneur.2026.1938586.

Journal

Frontiers in Neurology

Publication type

case_report

Evidence level

4

Sample size

1

Population

Individual patient with subacute thyroiditis and intracranial hypertension

Intervention

Observational — clinical description of co-occurring conditions