What is goiter and why does it occur?
The thyroid gland is an internal secretion gland located in the front of the neck and is of vital importance for our body. Its normal weight is approximately 20 grams, and its growth for any reason is called goiter. Thyroid enlargement without nodules is called simple (diffuse) goiter, and thyroid enlargement with nodules is called nodular goiter. Various factors such as insufficient intake of iodine from food, genetic predisposition, environmental and personal characteristics are effective in the formation of goiter. Additionally, in a study we conducted, we showed that there is a close relationship between obesity and thyroid size.
2. Why are thyroid hormones important?
Thyroid hormone is in our body; It plays very important roles in growth, development, energy generation and energy use, maintenance and maintenance of body temperature, and normal maintenance of all kinds of metabolic activities. Therefore, too much or too little secretion of thyroid hormone can cause serious disorders in every organ in the body.
What are the signs and symptoms of thyroid diseases?
Thyroid hormones are affected in various diseases. It may be produced and secreted too much (hyperthyroidism) or produced and secreted less than it should be (hypothyroidism). If the epidemic is high, complaints such as palpitations, excessive appetite and weight loss despite eating, irritability, tremors in the hands, sweating, hair loss, muscle pain and diarrhea occur, whereas if the epidemic is insufficient, slowdown in movements, weakness, fatigue, desire to sleep, hair loss, Complaints such as water retention in the body and weight gain, dry skin, hoarseness, constipation, menstrual irregularity in women occur.
In structural diseases of the thyroid gland; Depending on the number and size of the nodules, there may be symptoms such as swelling in the neck, cough due to pressure on the windpipe or, in advanced cases, difficulty in breathing, difficulty swallowing due to pressure on the esophagus, and hoarseness.
4. What is a thyroid nodule and how does it form?
Round or ellipse-shaped formations that can occur in the thyroid gland are called nodules. While nodules can be detected in 5-10% of patients by manual examination, with the widespread use of thyroid ultrasound, adults It has been shown that almost 50% of people may have a thyroid nodule or nodules. They are more common in women than in men. The most important defining feature of nodules is whether the nodule is cancerous or not. The most important method used to reveal the cancer risk of thyroid nodules is biopsies taken from the nodules with a fine needle. In general, although approximately 90% of nodules are benign, cancer may be present in approximately 10% of the nodules.
5. What is the diagnostic method in thyroid diseases?
First of all, thyroid hormone levels (ST4 and TSH) in the blood should be checked. Ultrasonography examination is an indispensable diagnostic tool in thyroid diseases. Thyroid scintigraphy is also used for diagnostic purposes in some patients.
6. How are thyroid diseases treated?
Patients with suspected or confirmed cancer as a result of biopsy and patients with large nodules that cause mechanical pressure should undergo surgery. In this case, most of the time the entire thyroid gland is removed and these patients have to take external thyroid hormone for life. Additionally, in cases of thyroid hormone deficiency such as Hashimoto's disease, patients must take external thyroid hormone for life. In patients with excess thyroid hormone, the excess hormone should be treated with medication, radioactive iodine therapy, or surgery.
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