Johns Hopkins head and neck surgeons provide specialized care for thyroid and parathyroid conditions. As leaders in scarless neck surgery and radiofrequency ablation RFA for thyroid nodules, our experts work with you to customize a treatment plan to help you feel your best. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. Is a goiter dangerous? Goiters are relatively common. A goiter is typically not dangerous, unless the underlying cause of thyroid enlargement is a thyroid cancer.
It is important to identify the cause of the goiter to rule out cancer. When a goiter becomes large enough, it may appear as a swelling in the neck.
After thyroid hormones are not produced enough, the brain stimulates the thyroid gland to produce the hormone. The stimulated thyroid cells grow and proliferate to ensure necessary hormone secretion. Nodular Goiter: The messages sent by the brain for further secretion of the thyroid hormones may, sometimes, provoke exaggerated response in certain cells of the thyroid gland and these cells proliferate more than others.
This condition results in formation of lumps — nodules- in the thyroid gland. Types of goiter and terms used: Euthyroid nontoxic Goiter : The thyroid gland enlarges, but the hormone secretion does not vary. Graves Disease toxic goiter : The immune system perceives the thyroid cells as foreign. The system attacks the thyroid gland and the hormone secretion increases in the thyroid gland. Toxic multi-nodular goiter: A nodule or nodules in the thyroid gland may secrete the thyroid hormones in an uncontrolled manner and cause hyperthyroidism.
The condition is common in elderly. Pseudogoiter: Pseudogoiter occurs when the thyroid gland is located higher in the neck due to a congenital factor. The condition is prominent especially in those with thin neck. Examinations and ultrasound show normal thyroid gland and thus, goiter is ruled out.
The condition is more common in slim individuals with thin and long neck. The enlarged gland is not visible in overweight individuals with short neck and this condition is called internal goiter.
In routine treatment, medication treatment is maintained after a part of the gland is removed surgically. Excessive hormone secretion stimulates the thyroid gland and causes relapse of the goiter. However, the presence of a goiter indicates there is an abnormality of the thyroid gland. Therefore, it is important to determine the cause of the goiter. As a first step, you will likely have thyroid function tests to determine if your thyroid is underactive or overactive see Thyroid Function Tests brochure.
Any subsequent tests performed will be dependent upon the results of the thyroid function tests. Other tests used to help diagnose the cause of the goiter may include a radioactive iodine scan, thyroid ultrasound, or a fine needle aspiration biopsy see Thyroid Nodule brochure. The treatment will depend upon the cause of the goiter. If the goiter was due to a deficiency of iodine in the diet not common in the United States , you will be given iodine supplementation given in preparations to take by mouth.
This will lead to a reduction in the size of the goiter, but often the goiter will not completely resolve. This treatment will restore your thyroid hormone levels to normal, but does not usually make the goiter go completely away. While the goiter may get smaller, sometimes there is too much scar tissue in the gland to allow it to get much smaller.
However, thyroid hormone treatment will usually prevent it from getting any larger. Although appropriate in some individuals, surgery is usually not routine treatment of thyroiditis. For some causes of hyperthyroidism, the treatment may lead to a disappearance of the goiter. Many goiters, such as the multinodular goiter, are associated with normal levels of thyroid hormone in the blood.
These goiters usually do not require any specific treatment after the appropriate diagnosis is made. If no specific treatment is suggested, you may be warned that you are at risk for becoming hypothyroid or hyperthyroid in the future.
However, if there are problems associated with the size of the thyroid per se, such as the goiter getting so large that it constricts the airway, your doctor may suggest that the goiter be treated by surgical removal. Whatever the cause, it is important to have regular annual monitoring when diagnosed with a goiter.
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