Participants
pain
SAT patients aged 18–70 years with moderate-to-severe pain (visual analog scale (VAS) score up to 7/10) or a poor response to oral NSAIDs (no pain relief within 3 days of treatment) met the inclusion criteria. The diagnostic criteria for SAT and the exclusion criteria are provided in Eligible individuals were recruited consecutively. During the screening process, demographic characteristics, physical examination, medical history, and medication history were recorded in face-to-face interviews. Furthermore, samples of blood and urine were collected for laboratory tests. VAS and a five-point Likert scale were used to measure pain in the thyroid gland. Radioisotope scanning, radioactive iodine uptake tests, and fine-needle aspiration cytology were used to assist in SAT diagnosis.Patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group within 2 days after the screening process. Body weight and laboratory data at the screening stage were taken to be baseline values. Vital signs, thyroid-pain score, and physical examination of the thyroid gland were measured again as baseline values at the time of randomization. The details of the trial procedures are described in 