What is a Goiter?
House Call Doctor explains the causes and dangers of goiters.
House Call Doctor
When the thyroid gland is enlarged, it gets the unfortunate name, “goiter.” I don’t like the word “goiter.” It joins “gout,” “shingles,” and “scabies” as those medical conditions with ugly names. If I had an enlarged thyroid, I’d hit whoever called it a goiter.
The main cause of thyroid enlargement is inflammation, which is where white blood cells enter the gland and cause it to swell. The fancy word for an inflamed thyroid is thyroiditis.
The other significant cause of thyroid enlargement is lack of iodine in the diet, which is one of the main reasons iodine is added to salt. Thyroiditis can be caused by medications, viruses, or auto-immune diseases, and the latter two are sometimes associated with an increase in thyroid hormone put out by the gland, which is called hyperthyroidism. But regardless of the cause, a big thyroid isn’t normal and should be brought to your doctor’s attention. Since the thyroid gland is in the neck, an enlargement of the gland will cause neck swelling as its main symptom. If they get big enough, goiters can also make it difficult to breathe, and sometimes they even cause pain.
If you experience any of these symptoms, see your doctor immediately.
Neck Examination image from Shutterstock