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A goitre, or goiter, is a swelling in the neck resulting from an enlarged thyroid gland. [1] [2] A goitre can be associated with a thyroid that is not functioning properly. Worldwide, over 90% of goitre cases are caused by iodine deficiency. [3] The term is from the Latin gutturia, meaning throat.
Before 1950 goiter was a widespread disease caused by iodine deficiency. [40] Up to 80 percent of the population were affected in inland areas. In the coastal communities, saltwater fish were an important part of the diet, and because of the presence of iodine in seawater, goiter was less common than in the inland districts.
Soil deficient in iodine is most common inland, in mountainous areas, and in areas of frequent flooding. It can also occur in coastal regions, where iodine might have been removed from the soil by glaciation, as well as leaching by snow, water and heavy rainfall. [12] Plants and animals grown in iodine-deficient soils are correspondingly deficient.
Graves' disease, also known as toxic diffuse goiter or Basedow’s disease, is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. [1] It frequently results in and is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism . [ 5 ]
Some forms of goitre are associated with pain, whereas many do not cause any symptoms. Enlarged goitres may extend beyond the normal position of the thyroid gland to below the sternum, around the airway or esophagus. [61] Goitres may be associated with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, relating to the underlying cause of the goitre. [61]
A goiter is a diffuse, often symmetric, swelling of the thyroid gland visible in the anterior neck that may develop. [13] The thyroid gland may become firm, large, and lobulated in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but changes in the thyroid can also be non- palpable . [ 14 ]
Alopecia Areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that affects about 2 percent of the population. It occurs when your immune system attacks your hair follicles. This can damage your ...
A goiter is rare, although it may develop later in children who have a thyroid gland that does not produce functioning thyroid hormone. [30] A goiter may also develop in children growing up in areas with iodine deficiency . [ 31 ]