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Endocrinology
Family Medicine
Endocrinologist
Family Medicine
Goiter can be of the following types:
Goiter is a very common condition worldwide. It is prevalent in 15.7% of the world’s population, while it affects 4.7% of the people in the USA. Goiter affects more women than men. It is found less in older ages.
The presence of the following risk factors can increase your chances of having goiter;
Following are the causes of goiter;
As discussed previously, the goiter may be asymptomatic or symptomatic. The symptoms depend on the amount of thyroid hormone, whether it is released more or less. A goiter that causes hormone disturbance is called a toxic goiter, While the one that doesn’t is called a non-toxic goiter. Due to enlarged size, symptoms can also be that of compression and obstruction of the structures in the neck region.
Excessive thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism)
Decreased levels of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism)
Compression symptoms
A small goiter may not be evident or may not cause any symptoms. It may be incidentally found on imaging or physical examination of some other illness. Your doctor will ask questions about symptoms and examine you for the signs discussed above. You may be advised to have the following investigations;
Some other conditions can mimic the presentation of a goiter;
Treatment of goiter depends upon the presence or absence of symptoms, the amount and speed of growth, the presence of any cancerous tissue, and the patient’s preference for removal. Most of the time, goiter is asymptomatic and non-toxic. Such goiter does not need to be removed. For toxic goiters, the goal of treatment is to control the overproduction or underproduction of the hormones and to block their effects on the body.
For hyperthyroid goiters following treatment options are used;
For hypothyroid goiters following treatment options are used;
Most of the goiters are benign. However, a change in shape, texture, or growth must raise the alarm and be investigated for a possible cancerous transformation.
Following habits should be adopted to decrease the chances of goiter;
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.