Is Goiter Dangerous?

Can a thyroid goiter kill you?

I assume you‘ve heard of goiters, but do you really know what they are?

Last week, I felt a lump on my throat and a bit of swelling on my neck. My first reaction was perhaps I’m developing a goiter. And so with no time to waste, I researched on what is goiter and is it dangerous. I don’t want to go to the hospital for it to be checked because of my fear with Covid19 virus. After doing initial research on the internet, I called on our family friend doctor and asked for an advice and what to do with the swelling on my neck.

So what basically Goiter is?

Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. It can be caused by many things, including nodules, inflammation, and Grave’s disease. Talking about Grave’s disease, I’m a bit familiar with because my office mate have it. Grave’s disease ( I don’t know why it’s called “disease”)  occurs when your thyroid produces more thyroid hormone than normal, which is known as hyperthyroidism. The excessive production of hormones makes the thyroid increase in size. My office mate seems like have two Adam’s apple because of this.

How Dangerous is Goiter?

Here’s the good news. Goiter may require no treatment, especially if it is small and your thyroid hormone levels are normal. However, if the goiter develops because of excessive thyroid hormone production, fails to produce enough hormone, or causes discomfort, you will need treatment. Only doctors can tell you what is the best treatment.

How to Diagnose Goiter?

Doctors will diagnose a goiter through a physical exam. Often the doctors will simply examine your neck and your throat. They may also request blood tests, ultrasounds, thyroid scans to find out the cause of the goiter.

What are the symptoms of Goiter?

• Swelling at the front side of the base of the neck, ranging from a small bump to a general enlargement.
• If you have hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland), you may also experience weight lost despite an increat appetite, an increase heart rate, elevated blood pressure, nervousness, diarrhea, muscle weakness, and hand tremors.
• If you have hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland), you may also experience lethargy, slowed physical and mental functions, depression, a lower heart rate, an intolerance to cold, constipation, easy weight gain, and tinglung or numbness in your hands.

How To Treat Goiter?

I don’t want to sounds like Mayoclinic or webmd. There’s a lot of information already out there on how to treat a goiter. But again, only your doctor can advice you what is the most appropriate treatment for your goiter. So I highly suggest visit your doctor , and have it diagnosed. I’ve found out that most simple goiters are preventable through enough intake of iodine. Nowadays, it is normal to find table salt with added iodine on it. Iodine can also be found in foods like tuna, other sea fishes, seaweed, even on cheese and cow’s milk.

Oh by the way, after virtual consultation with our family doctor, he identified the swelling not a goiter but sore throat due to infection. After just some few days treating with antibiotics, the swelling is gone! The positive outcome of this is that I was able to do some research on the goiter which I am sharing it to you now.

I hope you have learned something on my post today. Don’t forget to share to your friends!