Your thyroid gland enlarges as a result of the condition known as goiter. Your thyroid may develop one or more thyroid nodules, which are small lumps, or it may totally grow. Simply put, a goiter is an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland. It's critical to understand that a goiter does not always indicate a problem with the thyroid gland. A goiter can develop in a gland that is generating the right amount of hormone, too much hormone (hyperthyroidism), or no hormone at all (hypothyroidism) (euthyroidism). A goiter is a sign that a problem exists that is causing the thyroid to develop abnormally.

Your thyroid gland is situated in your neck, directly below your Adam's apple. It is a tiny, butterfly-shaped endocrine gland. These hormones have an impact on a variety of biological functions, including:

• Metabolism of the body
• Sensitivity and excitement
• Heartbeat and pulse rate
• Digestion

Causes

Iodine deficiency in the diet is the most typical cause of goiter in the world. Goiters may be brought on by either excessive or insufficient thyroid hormone production in the United States, where iodized salt is widely accessible, or by thyroid nodules.

Symptoms

Goiter's primary signs and symptoms include:

growth at the base of your Adam's apple near the front of your neck.

a sense of constriction in the neck region.

Hoarseness (scratchy voice) (scratchy voice).

swelling of neck veins.

When you lift your arms over your head, you feel dizzy.

Other, less typical signs and symptoms are:

Having trouble breathing (shortness of breath).

Coughing.

Wheezing (caused by your windpipe straining) (due to squeezing of your windpipe).

Difficulty in swallowing (due to squeezing of your esophagus).

Treatment

Your doctor may advise close surveillance to watch for any changes or development over time if your goiter is not producing any symptoms. Reduce the growth of the goiter using medication to regulate aberrant thyroid hormone levels. Usually, a goiter that is producing symptoms requires surgery. A thyroidectomy, a surgical treatment, may be required to remove the entire thyroid or, if feasible, a section of the enlarged thyroid.

A novel procedure called radiofrequency ablation (RFA) may be used to decrease the goiter and relieve symptoms linked to pressure when the goiter is brought on by one or more noncancerous thyroid nodules without the need for surgery.

AA I Floricel N. Denopol, RND

References:

Goiter

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12625-goiter

https://www.thyroid.org/goiter/

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/goiter