Swollen Thyroid
What's Behind A Swollen Thyroid Condition?
A swollen thyroid condition can result from several causes and can be painful or painless with very slight to pronounced swelling. Some cases of swollen thyroid glands are temporary while others risk becoming permanent, eventually calling for treatment. In some instances the swelling is relatively harmless while other cases may require immediate attention. We'll look into he types of this condition and their underlying causes.
The most common cause of swelling is lack of iodine in our system. We generally get the amount required through nutritional elements such as salt and seafood, especially shellfish. If for any given reason we start to experience an inadequate intake of iodine the thyroid gland begins to produce fewer and fewer of certain hormones essential to the proper functioning of our cells and organs. The pituitary gland then stimulates the thyroid to produce more of these hormones resulting in a swelling of the gland. One obvious remedy here is to increase the intake of iodine.
Other causes of swollen thyroid are disease and infection. In one such instance our immune system, responsible for protecting our organs, attacks the thyroid gland and begins destroying tissue within the gland. This is the result of a disease known as Hashimoto's disease and as the damage to thyroid tissue expands swelling of the gland occurs. Another immune system related disease is Grave's disease. While the tissues of the thyroid gland are not directly attacked in this instance, Grave's disease can cause a hyperthyroid or overactive thyroid condition. One of the symptoms associated with an overactive thyroid is swelling of the gland.
There is also the condition called thyroiditis in which inflammation of the thyroid occurs. There are three major types of thyroiditis. The first and most serious is Hashimoto's thyroiditis which may cause slight swelling or produce lumps. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is particularly dangerous because of the possibility of one or more of the lumps becoming malignant, resulting in thyroid cancer. The other two types are less serious. Painful thyroiditis occurs as the result of a viral infection with the result being painful inflammation and swelling. Either or both lobes may be affected so swelling may occur on either or both sides of the neck. The third type, painless thyroiditis is most commonly associated with women giving birth and like painful thyroiditis is generally not long lasting.
As mentioned above, one of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism may be a swelling of the glands. Thyroid swelling can also be caused by the opposite condition, hypothyroidism. In either case the swelling in itself may not be serious though other symptoms of hyper- and hypothyroidism may cause greater problems.
A related condition is a growth of the thyroid gland rather than simple swelling and is called goiter. Goiter in itself is generally not particularly dangerous though tests for cancerous cells are always advisable. A large goiter may cause significant discomfort however and in addition can be a source of emotional discomfort.
As you can see, the problems associated with a swollen thyroid condition may vary from the minor and tolerable to the more severe.