Thyroid Goiter

Thyroid: The thyroid is a small gland located below the skin and muscles at the front of the neck, just at the spot where a bow tie would rest. It’s brownish red, with left and right halves (called lobes) that look like a butterfly’s wings. Its light like a butterfly, too, and usually weighs less than an ounce.

Thyroid Goiter:

• Iodine Deficiency – Iodine found in fish products, drinking water and table salt, is essential for the production of thyroid hormone. If there is a lack of it, an individual will suffer from hypothyroidism. In an effort to produce more thyroid hormone the thyroid gland is over stimulated and enlarges to form an endemic goiter. An iodine deficiency is very common in underdeveloped countries.
• Graves’ Disease – This is an autoimmune disorder which causes the thyroid gland to be overactive (hyperthyroidism). In Graves’ disease, antibodies produced by the immune system stimulate the thyroid gland which then enlarges, resulting in an enlarged goiter, and produces excess thyroid hormone.
• Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – Hashimoto’s disease is also an autoimmune disorder. The immune system destroys the thyroid gland which results in less thyroid hormone being produced. The pituitary gland then stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormones, causing it to enlarge and a goiter can then develop.
• Solitary Thyroid Nodules – A single nodule develops inside the thyroid which causes an enlarged thyroid.
• Multinodular Goiter – In this disorder, many nodules develop inside the thyroid which causes an enlarged thyroid. These nodules are usually not harmful.
• Thyroid Cancer – The cancer may be detected as a lump or nodule in the thyroid gland and may result in goiter formation.
• Inflammation – Inflammation of the thyroid is also referred to as thyroiditis, and it is usually associated with hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). There are many causes of thyroiditis that can result in an enlarged thyroid or goiter. Some common symptoms of thyroiditis include mild fever and neck pain that is worse with swallowing.  
• Pregnancy – During the first tri-mester of pregnancy, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) can result in an enlarged thyroid gland. The thyroid gland mistakenly registers HCG for TSH (the thyroid stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland) and enlarges in response to it.

Goitre Signs and Symptoms

• Emotional upsets-Initial goitre symptom may be emotional upsets which gradually increase in duration.
• Loss of concentration, irritability–Other goitre symptoms which appear subsequently are loss of power of concentration, irritability, and depression. The thyroid gland may swell but this has no relation to the severity of the ailment.