Goitre thyroid enlargement

What is Goitre thyroid enlargement?

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Goitre thyroid enlargement is a disease of the thyroid gland. A goitre is an enlargement of the gland.

Statistics on Goitre thyroid enlargement?

Goitres are more common in women than men, and may be either physiological or pathological. They are present on examination in up to 9% of the population.

Risk Factors for Goitre thyroid enlargement

Causes of goitre:

Physiological - puberty, pregnancy
Multinodular goitre
Autoimmune - Graves' disease, Hashimoto's disease
Thyroiditis: acute (de Quervain's), chronic fibrotic (Reidel's)
Iodine deficiency (endemic goitre)

Progression of Goitre thyroid enlargement

As the goitre develops the entire neck looks swollen because of the large thyroid. This mass will compress the trachea and oesophagus, leading to goitre symptoms such as coughing, waking up from sleep feeling like you can't breath, and the sensation that food is getting stuck in the upper throat.

Prognosis of Goitre thyroid enlargement

A goitre is a benign disease. Simple goitre may disappear spontaneously, or may become enlarged. Over time, hypothyroidism may develop due to destruction of the normal thyroid tissue. This can be treated with medications to replace the thyroid hormones.

On the odd occasion, a goitre may progress to a toxic state when a nodule is making thyroid hormones on its own. This can cause hyperthyroidism. It can be treated with radioactive iodine to destroy the nodule.

How is Goitre thyroid enlargement Treated?

Many goitres are small, cause no symptoms and can be observed. In particular, during puberty and pregnancy a goitre associated with euthyroidism rarely requires intervention. The problem will usually fix itself.

Goitres are often removed because of cosmetic reasons or, more commonly, because they compress the trachea and the oesophagus and thus make breathing and swallowing difficult. Sometimes goitres will grow into the chest, where they can cause trouble as well.

Goitre thyroid enlargement References

Ballinger, A. Patchett, S., Saunders' Pocket Essentials of Clinical Medicine 2nd ed. W.B. Saunders, 2000
Cotran, R.S., Kumar, V., Collins, T. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease 6th ed. W.B. Saunders 1999.
Kumar P, Clark M. CLINICAL MEDICINE. WB Saunders 2002
Longmore M, Wilkinson I, Torok E. OXFORD HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL MEDICINE. Oxford Universtiy Press. 2001
Robbins, S.L., Cotran, R.S., Kumar, V. Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease 5th ed. W.B. Saunders 1995.