Goiter means enlargement of the thyroid gland above normal. It is not a separate disease entity, but one of the symptoms of thyroid disease, therefore in the event of visible and / or palpable enlargement of the thyroid gland, you should see a doctor. Find out what are the causes of an enlarged thyroid (goiter).

Goitermeansenlargement of the thyroid gland(the gland located in the middle-lower part of the neck) above normal. For women, this limit is 18-20 ml, and for men - 25 ml. In the case of an increase in the volume of the thyroid gland,symptomsappear, such as e.g. enlargement of the circumference of the neck, a feeling of pressure within it, shortness of breath due to pressure on the trachea and a hoarse voice (resulting from pressure on the retrograde laryngeal nerve). The symptom of "too tight shirt collar" in men with thyroid goitre is also characteristic. However, it is often the case thatthyroid goitreproduces no symptoms and is diagnosed by chance when tested for another reason.

Goitre of the thyroid gland - types

1. Due to the location of

The enlargement of the thyroid gland can occur in different parts of the thyroid gland, not only in the neck, but also

  • below the sternum (1/3 of the gland is located below the upper edge of the sternum) -retrosternal goitre . In this case, it cannot be seen with an ultrasound of the thyroid gland, so a thyroid scan is performed.
  • in the aortic arch -mediastinal goiter

2. Due to the hormonal activity of the thyroid gland

  • neutral (non-toxic) goiter- the process of hormone secretion by the thyroid gland is not disturbed. Despite the enlargement of the thyroid gland, thyroid hormone levels remain normal
  • overactive (toxic) goitre- the work of the thyroid gland is disturbed, because hormones are secreted in large amounts and there is an excess of them in the body
  • hypoxic goitre- thyroid function is disturbed because hormones are secreted in too small amounts and there is a shortage of them in the body

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3. Due to the construction

  • goiterparenchymal- the thyroid parenchyma seen in ultrasound is uniform, there are no nodules in it. Currently, it is mainly found in autoimmune diseases of the thyroid gland (e.g. Hashimoto's disease)
  • nodular goiter- apart from the enlargement of the thyroid gland, one or more nodules can be felt in its structure. Nodular goitre should also be diagnosed when a lump (or nodules) develops in the thyroid gland that is not enlarged. Nodular goiter may develop on the basis of a pre-existing parenchymal goiter

4. Due to its size (according to the World He alth Organization - WHO)

  • 1st degree - the thyroid is invisible with normal neck position, it becomes visible only after tilting the head back
  • 2nd degree - enlarged thyroid is invisible but palpable
  • 3rd degree - very large thyroid gland, visible with normal neck position

There are alsovascular goitre . We can talk about it when the doctor, during the thyroid examination, notices increased vascular flow and senses its tremors. Vascular goitre is characteristic of Graves' disease.

On the other hand,endemic goiteris an enlargement of the thyroid gland, which occurs in people (in more than 10% of adult residents) living in areas with insufficient iodine content in food.

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