What does an enlarged thyroid mean?

The thyroid gland is one of the glands in the human body. Its location is a bit special, at the chin. It can cause many diseases, such as the enlargement of the thyroid gland, including thyroid enlargement. This is a disease of the thyroid gland and can be treated, but it must be treated in the early stages. If the disease is delayed for a long time, it may cause very serious consequences. So what does thyroid enlargement mean?

Simple goiter is a goiter with normal thyroid function. It is a compensatory goiter caused by iodine deficiency, goitrogenic substances or related enzyme defects. It is not accompanied by obvious hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, so it is also called non-toxic goiter. It is characterized by being scattered in non-endemic goiter areas and not accompanied by tumors and inflammation. In the early stage of the disease, the thyroid gland is mostly diffusely enlarged, which may later develop into multi-nodular enlargement.

Residents of areas where goiter is not endemic may have diffuse or nodular enlargement of the thyroid gland. This can be diagnosed as simple goiter after excluding other diseases such as hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's goiter, acute thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis, painless thyroiditis, and thyroid cancer.

The diagnosis of nontoxic goiter requires confirmation of euthyroidism and normal serum T3 and T4 levels. The thyroid function status is sometimes difficult to evaluate clinically because some patients with hyperthyroidism, especially the elderly, have mild or atypical clinical manifestations.

  The causes of thyroid enlargement include: 1. Infectious diseases, such as acute suppurative thyroiditis caused by bacteria and viral thyroiditis caused by viruses, also known as subacute thyroiditis. 2. Autoimmune, such as toxic diffuse goiter and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. 3. Chronic fibrothyroiditis of unknown cause. 4. Endemic goiter caused by too low or too high iodine intake from drinking water or diet. 5. Sporadic goiter caused by relatively increased iodine requirements and insufficient intake during adolescence, pregnancy and lactation. 6. New things growing on the thyroid gland, including benign tumors such as thyroid papilloma, and malignant thyroid tumors such as thyroid follicular cell carcinoma. 7. Some people have also found that it is related to food. For example, long-term consumption of large amounts of cabbage and cassava can also cause goiter; radishes and rue contain thiourea-type substances that cause goiter; long-term consumption of soybeans can also hinder the reabsorption of thyroid hormones in the intestine, thereby causing a relative deficiency of thyroid hormones; long-term consumption of peas, peanuts, etc. may also cause goiter. Targeted treatment should be carried out according to the cause of the disease.