Goitre

A goitre is a condition where the thyroid gland swells up abnormally. Thyroid gland produces hormones that help in regulating body’s metabolism. When this thyroid gland swells up it can be noticed as a lump in the throat. The size of this lump varies for different persons. The swelling is generally very small with no symptoms but in severe cases it may cause difficulty in swallowing and breathing. This is a common condition and mostly affects women. There are several causes that may result in goitre like an under active thyroid, over active thyroid, less intake of iodine in the diet or pregnancy. The treatment for goitre depends on the cause for it.

Symptoms

The main symptom of goitre is development of lump in the throat. There are two types of goitre that is diffuse small goitre and nodular goitre. In diffuse small goitre, the gland swells into a larger size which gives a smooth feel on touching. In nodular goitre, gland swells up in certain sections or nodules giving a lumpy feel on touching it. Some other symptoms include the following
-a tight feeling in the throat
-coughing
-difficulty in swallowing and breathing

Cause

The possible causes for goitre are listed below
Iodine deficiency-This is one of the major causes for development of goitre. Thyroid gland requires iodine for the production of thyroid hormones. The thyroid gland expands to produce more thyroid hormones if the body does not get enough iodine. Iodine deficiency can be due to less intake of salt in the diet or a non dairy diet.
Over-active thyroid gland: Hyperthyroidism that is an overactive thyroid gland may cause goitre. In this case, development of excessive amount of thyroid hormones results in swelling of the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism may be also due to Grave’s disease. In such case the antibodies attack the thyroid gland causing more production of thyroid hormones.
Under-active thyroid gland: Hypothyroidism that is under active thyroid gland cause goitre due to less production of thyroid hormones. This causes the body to simulate the glands for more production of hormones leading to swelling of the gland. Iodine deficiency and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the main cause for hypothyroidism.
Smoking: Smokers whose intake of iodine is less are at a higher risk of getting goitre. Thiocyanate a chemical present in tobacco interferes with body’s ability to use iodine.

Some other causes may lead to goitre
-pregnancy and puberty
-infection
-lithium
-goitrogenic foods if taken in excess
-exposure to radiation
– iodine intake in excess
-thyroid cancer

Treatment

The treatment for goitre depends on the symptoms and size of the goitre. If the thyroid works normally and the goitre is small in size, immediate treatment might not be recommended but the condition will be monitored.

Some ways to treat thyroid are

-Hormone therapy: Use of synthetic hormone may be recommended if the thyroid is under active. Muscle cramps, irregular heart beat and chest pain are some of the side effects of using this hormone.

-Treatment with thionamides in case of over active thyroid
-Radioactive iodine
-Intake of iodine supplements in case the goitre is due to deficiency of iodine
-Surgery is recommended in case the goitre causes breathing and swallowing problem and if it is not responding to other treatments.