If after you have undergone an ultrasound examination, you see in your card a note that you have diffuse changes in the thyroid gland, then you should not be afraid of it, because this is not a disease at all, not even a diagnosis, it's just the results of an ultrasound. To top it all off, they themselves are not bad, because the word "diffuse" means "uniform." This implies a uniformly dispersed heterogeneity of the thyroid tissue, which was caused by internal biochemical influences.
During the examination, the causes of such heterogeneity will be identified:
- Diffuse focal changes in the thyroid gland.
- Focal thyroid changes.
- Diffuse changes in the thyroid parenchyma.
At the initial stage, signs of changes are poorly expressed and can be detected by chance, for example during medical examination or as a result of treatment of other diseases.
The detected diffuse changes in the thyroid gland in the primary stage may already be a signal for concern, even if the specialist has not yet prescribed treatment. Since then, it is necessary to systematically undergo an ultrasound examination at least twice a year.
Poorly detected diffuse changes in the thyroid gland with subsequent development and progression can become a very real and very serious health hazard if it can subsequently cause a decreased or increased secretion of thyroid hormones. They serve as stabilizers and affect the activity of all systems and organs of our body.
Kinds
Depending on what pathology provoked them, you can find out the form of uniform changes in the thyroid gland. In most cases, different types of goiter and thyroiditis, which is inflammation of the thyroid tissue, lead to diffuse abnormalities in the thyroid gland. The disease can go away in a chronic or acute form. Goiter is a kind of swelling in the neck, which is formed due to the enlargement of the gland.
His views:
- endemic, sporadic, depending on the cause of occurrence;
- euthyroid - when the level of thyroid hormones is normal;
- toxic - with an excess of hormones.
Causes
The main reasons leading to diffuse changes in the thyroid gland are:
- iodine deficiency or its excessive intake in the body;
- genetically predetermined autoimmune reactions;
- exposure to infectious agents.
For the synthesis of triiodothyronine and thyroxine, the thyroid gland needs iodine. It must enter the body along with water and food. With iron deficiency, uniform growth occurs in order to maintain the production of active substances at the proper level. Since this problem is regional in nature, such a disease must be called endemic goiter. The thyroid gland can become larger in response to a large intake of iodine when using a significant amount of seafood or drugs. This type of endemic goiter is typical for people who live near the sea or ocean.
What else can cause diffuse changes in the thyroid parenchyma ?.
Autoimmune reactions
Genetic damage, which can lead to autoimmune reactions that affect the tissue and functional activity of the thyroid gland, is due to:
- diffuse toxic goiter;
- autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's goiter).
With Hashimoto's goiter, immunity produces antibodies to thyroid cells. Ultimately, there is a uniform change in the organ: the epithelial tissue is saturated with an infiltrate and is not completely replaced by connective fibers, the follicles that produce hormones are damaged. Diffuse toxic goiter, also called Bazedov’s disease, is also determined by an abnormal immune response. In this case, antibodies do not affect the thyroid gland, but induce its cells to grow and increase hormone production. What can cause diffuse changes in the thyroid gland?
Provocative factors
In these cases, the destructive process begins under the influence of:
- stress and overwork;
- severe injuries;
- frequent drinking and smoking;
- exhaustion of the body;
- inflammatory and viral diseases.
Infections
Diffuse focal changes in the thyroid gland can occur under the influence of infections.
Just like any other organ, the thyroid gland can be a place for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. In these cases, acute thyroiditis is manifested. Its bacteria enter the thyroid gland with a lymphatic flow or with blood from infectious sources in the body. It happens that infection occurs with direct organ damage. The reasons for acute thyroiditis have not been established. Often it forms after some time after infection of a viral occurrence.
Other reasons
Circumstances that can also give rise to diffuse changes in the gland:
- malnutrition - overeating, taking foods that suppress the thyroid gland;
- professional continuous intoxication;
- radiation radiation;
- some damage to the endocrine organs.
Diffuse changes in the thyroid gland in women can provoke:
- Weight gain or loss without changing the quantity and quality of food.
- Dry and brittle hair and nails.
- Decreased protective functions of the body, characterized by frequent colds.
- People who are diagnosed with a change in the thyroid gland experience constant chills or fever.
Symptoms and signs
Signs of changes of this kind occur depending on the pathologies that led to their manifestation. Symptoms of acute thyroiditis are fever and pain in the neck. During subacute inflammation, the same symptoms are noticed, but with reduced intensity. The occurrence of chronic thyroiditis, as well as other various forms of goiter, is caused by the level of hormones that are produced by the thyroid gland, and how much they correspond to the norm. During endemic goiter, euthyroidism is usually visible, and with diffuse toxic, hyperthyroidism is observed, Hashimoto's goiter is first hyper- and then hypothyroidism. Signs of hyperthyroidism:
- twitching of hands and body;
- feeling of heat;
- aggressiveness and nervous excitability;
- rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia, high blood pressure;
- weight loss;
- diarrhea
- muscle weakness;
- ophthalmopathy (swelling of the tissues of the eyes, visual impairment, eye-eyes).
Signs of hypothyroidism:
- memory impairment;
- hair loss, brittle nails;
- lethargy and apathy;
- fever, chills;
- constipation
- weight gain.
In addition to all this, with hyperthyroidism, various reproductive changes occur: a decrease in fertility and disruptions in the menstrual cycle. If the thyroid gland is much larger, it can compress the trachea, blood vessels, esophagus and nerve endings. In this case, a dry cough appears, problems with breathing and swallowing, pain in the neck. These symptoms are a good reason to visit an endocrinologist for an examination of the thyroid gland. Most doctors believe that it is necessary to be examined once a year, this necessarily applies to people over 35 years old.
Forms
In the classification of diffuse changes in the thyroid gland by type, several forms are distinguished:
- depending on the object of change - structure or parenchyma;
- moderate and pronounced;
- diffuse or diffuse-nodal transformations.
Thyroid parenchyma is an epithelial tissue made up of small follicles that are surrounded by lymphatic and blood vessels. They produce triiodothyronine and thyroxine. During diffuse changes in the thyroid parenchyma, a uniform growth of follicle cells is observed. As a rule, this process appears with endemic goiter. Violations in the structure of the organ may mean that its concentration is changing or the proportion of epithelial cells is replaced by connective fibers. This can happen with autoimmune and inflammatory processes. Available diffuse changes in the thyroid gland - an imperceptible uniform increase in the parenchyma without hormonal and structural changes. Most often, they do not affect the patient’s well-being.
This condition requires constant examination: the patient needs to undergo an ultrasound scan at least once a year. The manifested deviations are a significant deformation of the parenchyma and structure of the thyroid gland. In most cases, they have a place with Bazedov’s disease and with autoimmune thyroiditis. If during the examination there is not only thyroid dysfunction and even increase, but also some areas with an abnormal structure, doctors diagnose diffuse-focal or nodular changes in the thyroid gland. It can be lipomas, cancerous tumors, adenomas, cysts. And the most dangerous form of changes in the structure of the thyroid gland is a diffuse focal, because this species can mean the development of oncology.
How to treat diffuse focal thyroid changes?
Treatment
The treatment regimen is expressed by the specificity of the disease. If there is acute inflammation of the thyroid gland, antibiotics are prescribed, and in the subacute form, glucocorticoids. Autoimmune thyroiditis, which usually occurs with overt hypothyroidism, requires the use of a synthetic analogue of the thyroxine hormone. Euthyroid endemic goiter, not accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms, is not treated. If there is a decrease in the production of thyroid hormones, iodine or Levothyroxine may be used. Hyperthyroidism with diffuse toxic goiter is corrected with the help of thyreostatics - drugs that suppress the synthesis of hormones. The most commonly prescribed are Merkazolil, Propitsil or Tyrosol. With the identified symptoms of ophthalmopathy, Prednisolone is used.
Prevention
Important measures to prevent the formation of diffuse-nodal changes in the thyroid gland:
- Avoid stressful situations.
- Strengthen immunity and lead a healthy lifestyle.
- Use iodine with food in sufficient quantities (enrich your diet with seafood, use iodized salt).
We examined signs of diffuse changes in the thyroid gland.