Goiter

Khiria El-Feghi & Harshal Patel

Students at Kennedy Collegiate Institute, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

DMI Gazette. August 15, 2005

What is goiter?

·        an enlargement of a gland ( thyroid)

·        a person can see it as swelling on the front of the neck

What are the causes of goiter?

·        diet lacking iodine

·        inability of the body to use iodine

·         increase in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)

·        environmental pollutants such as heavy metal poisoning

·        certain drugs

·        many types of thyroid disorders

What gland is involved?

              Thyroid gland:

·        An Endocrine (hormone) gland

·        located in front and each side of the thyroid cartilage of the larynx

·        produces a hormone that controls metabolism and growth

·        in human beings it is a brownish-red organ

What are the symptoms?

·        coughing

·        waking up from sleep feeling like you can’t breath

·        sensation that food is getting stuck in the upper throat

·        change in voice

What are the causes of the symptoms?

·        enlarged part of the thyroid will squeeze the trachea (wind pipe) and esophagus (swallowing tube)

What are the treatments available?

Depending on the size:

BIG: surgical removal (sometimes done for cosmetic reasons) and this results in taking the thyroid hormone in a form of a pill for the rest of one’s life

Small or moderate: thyroid hormone in the form of a pill (will not decrease size; it will only stop it from growing)

 Reference:

1. Giuseppe, M., & Et., Al. Nelson Biology 12. Thompson Canada Limited. 2003.

2. “Goiter,” Microsoft® Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.