Thyroid nodules are quite common in the average population and may be detected – with a careful examination – in up to 5 percent of people. Some 300,000 new cases a year are detected, and the number is high in countries where diets are deficient in iodine.
Since the thyroid gland requires iodine to produce thyroid hormone, one of the major metabolic hormones in the body, a relative lack may cause tissue to hypertrophy, or swell. Of course, having too much thyroid can cause the same finding, but most nodules are solid and relatively hypofunctioning.
Thyroid nodules are four times as common in women as in men. They are unusual in children and their prevalence increases with age. More than half of the single nodules found in the initial screening turn out to be one of many when the gland is scanned. Patients may be the first to find a nodule by either feeling it or actually seeing it when looking in the mirror.
While most thyroid nodules are benign-thankfully-about 5 percent of them turn out to need intervention. Thus, follow-up and testing is required when one is found. Thyroid function tests in blood are done; even though most people have normal thyroid levels (euthyroid), hypothyroidism (and more rarely, hyperthyroidism) is detected.
An enlarged thyroid gland can have many causes: iodine deficiency, pregnancy, inflammation of the thyroid from autoimmune disease, and infection head up the list. Multiple nodules are found as frequently as single nodules are.
The risk of a thyroid nodule being malignant is increased in those who have a family history of same, those who received head and neck radiation as a child (this was a treatment for acne and thymus gland enlargement many years ago) and in those who have a personal history of another malignancy. Sometimes even benign conditions such as inflammation of the thyroid reveal an underlying nodule on testing that may be malignant.
When a gland is enlarged or swollen and either the patient or doctor notices a thyroid mass or nodule, imaging is done along with basic thyroid function tests. An ultrasound is often the first step to determine the actual size of the growth and whether there are multiple ones that can be detected. Ultrasound also helps discriminate between a solid nodule and a thyroid cyst, which usually contains colloid material and is harmless.
Scanning with radioactive iodine may be done to determine if the nodule is hyperfunctioning (hot) or nonfunctioning (cold). CT scanning is reserved for cases in which larger glands may be suspected of growing backward and pushing on the windpipe or extending into the chest.
A biopsy with a fine needle is the best way to determine the presence or absence of malignancy in the gland. It is a procedure that can be done in the doctor’s office and is generally not painful. The tissue or liquid obtained is then looked at under the microscope for composition and type of cells.
Again, most glands and nodules turn out to be benign. They may not require treatment or may require the use of anti-inflammatory medicines or remedies to control the condition. Thyroid nodules that cause inflammation or pain may qualify for treatment with medicinal marijuana or CBD oil from companies such as https://vibescbd.co.uk/. Benign nodules often go away with time, but if persistent or increasing in size then treatment to remove them may be considered.
If malignant, several treatment modalities are available, depending on the cells and aggressiveness of the lesion. Surgery (often a total thyroidectomy) is done for lesions that are malignant on biopsy. Radioactive iodine to destroy the gland chemically may be used for multiple nodules or in hyperfunctioning glands. These modalities are often curative, and the major complication of hypothyroidism post-treatment is remedied by taking a thyroid pill for replacement each day.
Thyroid nodules and even most thyroid cancers are quite curable; benign growths are eligible for best rate issue and even malignant ones can be standard after time has elapsed with no recurrent disease.
Doctor follow-up is important, as is testing for maintenance of normal thyroid functioning, even on thyroid replacement. Obtaining insurance may be postponed when a nodule is found but no investigation has been done. However, most thyroid nodules turn out to be benign and not of underwriting significance.
