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If you have a swelling in front of your neck at the lower side, you might be having a condition called goiter. Goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland, a small butterfly-shaped gland in the front part of the neck. This gland produces hormones that control many important body functions like metabolism, heart rate, physical growth, brain development, sexual development, etc.
There may be diffuse enlargement of the gland, or there might be a single or multiple small areas of growth called nodules. This enlargement may or may not be associated with the functional expression of the hormones. That is to say, There may be increased or decreased release of thyroid hormones or no change in the hormone levels at all. The increased levels (hyperthyroidism) are associated with increased heartbeat, diarrhea, anxiety, sweating, fatigue, etc. Whereas the lower levels (hypothyroidism) result in decreased heart rate, constipation, confusion, laziness, cold intolerance, etc., the goiter is treated according to the presentation of the disease. A very large goiter can also compress other vital structures in the neck like blood vessels, windpipe, food pipe, nerves, etc., necessitating its removal.