On the front surface of the human neck is the thyroid gland, which has the shape of a horseshoe, and weighs only 20-40 grams. However, with her illness, a beautiful and confident person can become fat or thin, lethargic or nervous, irritable, and a number of diseases can appear. It's all about thyroid hormones. It is them that the thyroid gland produces. Without them, the body begins to collapse rapidly, and a person’s immune system weakens and an endocrine disease called goiter develops. Symptoms do not appear immediately, a person may not feel discomfort for a long time. But without timely treatment, the disease will progress.
Depending on the decrease or increase in the activity of the thyroid gland, there are diffuse, nodular and mixed forms of goiter.
With hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland produces excess hormones. Its characteristic feature is goiter. Symptoms are manifested in a frequent pulse, a feeling of heat, trembling fingers, sweating, gray hair early (from 20 years old). You can identify the disease using a blood test for thyroid hormones. The causes of hyperthyroidism can be mental overload, exacerbation of other diseases.
Its most complex form is a diffuse toxic goiter, the symptoms of which are characterized by sharp weight loss, irritability, trembling hands, palpitations, sweating, eyeballs getting out, double vision. This disease is commonly known as "bazedova disease."
But more common is hypothyroidism - a lack of hormones, i.e. lack of microscopic particles forming the interaction of various chemical elements in the body. These particles stimulate the respiration of body tissues, promote the rate of oxygen consumption by them, control protein synthesis, just like insulin and adrenaline, and ensure the flow of amino acids and sugars into the cells.
Thyroid cells for the formation of hormones must absorb a sufficient amount of iodine from the blood, which is delivered to the body from foods and the surrounding atmosphere. However, in many settlements located far from the seas, iodine is not enough. Up to 250 million people live in these territories. Therefore, today the prevention of iodine deficiency by the World Health Organization is declared among the priority tasks.
Currently, a very common diagnosis is diffuse goiter. Symptoms of it are manifested in the appearance of chronic fatigue, forgetfulness and distraction, dizziness and hoarseness of the voice, difficulty swallowing and dry cough, sensations of pressure in the neck.
The human thyroid gland is homogeneous in its structure, which changes with iodine deficiency. With diffuse goiter, an increase in the size of the thyroid gland occurs evenly, without compaction.
In another part of patients, nodular goiter is diagnosed . Symptoms of its appearance are observed with a malignant tumor, the formation of a cyst and adenoma of the thyroid gland, with a number of other diseases.
If the thyroid gland is significantly enlarged, and the nodes are small, the goiter is called mixed.
Of particular danger is toxic nodular goiter. Symptoms of its manifestation are more often observed in women than in men. They complain of a rapid heartbeat, sweating, difficulty swallowing, a noticeable increase in the size of the front surface of the neck.
Nodules in the thyroid gland in 85 percent of cases, according to statistics, are not dangerous, but in other situations, the formation of a cancerous tumor is possible.
Diagnosis and treatment of goiter depends on the causes of its appearance. In most cases, goiter treatment is carried out with the help of drugs that make up for iodine deficiency in the body or stimulate the release of hormones, make up for their lack in the body. It is recommended to include more seafood with a large amount of iodine in the diet, and you also need to reduce the consumption of preservatives, strong tea and coffee, fatty and spicy foods, chocolate and spices.
Well treats and nodular goiter of the thyroid gland. Its treatment is carried out medically and surgically. The choice is made by the attending endocrinologist. An effective method is the introduction of radioactive iodine into the thyroid gland medications , which reduces or even dissolves the nodes, as a result, its normal size and functions are restored. Depending on the stage of development of the disease, a decision is made to remove the nodes surgically, and in case of a malignant tumor, removal of the lobe or the entire gland. In this case, the patient will have to take hormone replacement drugs until the end of his life.