What is a goiter, what are its symptoms and why it appears

The thyroid is an endocrine gland found in the lower anterior part of the neck and is responsible for the formation and secretion of thyroid hormones, as well as iodine homeostasis in the human body. Like any other tissue in the body, this gland can also become sick or affected and cause disorders, such as goiter. What is a goiter? Goiter is a common problem that is characterized by an enlargement that can be diffuse (cannot be precisely located) or localized of the thyroid and that, moreover, can occur at any stage of life. Goiter is associated with changes in the thyroid's ability to secrete adequate amounts of hormones (the famous T3 and T4 hormones) as a result of glandular defects that can be intrinsic or extrinsic that modify the normal activity of the gland. Depending on the shape of the goiter, it can be classified as diffuse or nodular. The nodular includes single and multiple palpable or non-palpable nodules, it is more descriptive and precise than the diffuse one. What are the symptoms? Within the consequences of goiter we can find many types of symptoms, the most common being the following: A swelling in the front of the neck, just below the Adam's apple A feeling of tightness in the throat area Hoarseness (raspy voice) Neck vein swelling Dizziness when the arms are raised above the head There may be other less common symptoms and some of them can be dangerous due to the enlargement of the thyroid gland: Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath) Cough Wheezing (due to compression of the trachea) Difficulty swallowing (due to compression of the esophagus) There are people who with goiter may have hyperthyroidism, a pathology that causes an overproduction of T3 and T4 hormones, which can cause: An increased resting pulse rate Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting Sweating without exercise or increased ambient temperature Nervousness trouble sleeping rapid weight loss Finally, in the same way, that goiter can be accompanied by hyperthyroidism, it can also be related to hypothyroidism, which is an underproduction of T3 and T4 hormones: Fatigue (feeling tired) Constipation Dry Skin Weight gain menstrual irregularities Why does the goiter appear? Goiter can appear for multiple reasons, among which are the following. Iodine deficiency Iodine is a mineral that we can obtain from foods such as garlic, pineapple, iodized salt, etc. and it is necessary for the production of thyroid hormones since T3 has three iodine atoms and T4 has four. When a person does not eat enough iodine, the production of hormones is reduced and the hypothalamus begins to send many signals to the thyroid to make these hormones. This increased signaling can cause an increase in the size of the thyroid gland. Graves' disease Graves' disease is an autoimmune pathology that greatly activates the production of thyroid hormones. This extra activation has the same effect as the hypothalamus, so abnormal growth of the thyroid can occur. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks the thyroid gland. This damage that is generated in the thyroid gland means that it does not generate as many thyroid hormones. This, as occurs when there is little iodine consumption, the hypothalamus over-signals the thyroid and therefore increases in size. Pregnancy During pregnancy, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin is produced that stimulates the thyroid gland and can sometimes cause an enlarged thyroid. Nodular goiter The nodular goiter occurs when there are irregular growths of the cells of the gland and generate nodules. A person can have one or several nodules and the causes of this abnormal growth are due to various factors such as genetics, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep hygiene, etc. Furthermore, it appears that 5% of thyroid nodules are due to thyroid cancer.