What does nodular goiter mean?

summary

Nodular goiter, also known as adenomatous goiter, actually refers to the multiple nodules formed in the late stage of endemic goiter and sporadic goiter. The incidence rate is very high, and it has reported 4% of the master population. Nodular goiter is due to the patient's long-term iodine deficiency or relative iodine deficiency and goiter causing substances in the environment, causing diffuse goiter. After a long course of disease, I would like to share my experience with you.

What does nodular goiter mean?

1. The patient has a long history of simple goiter. The age of onset is generally over 30 years old. Women are more than men. The degree of goiter is different, and most of them are asymmetric. The number and size of nodules are different, usually multiple nodules, and there may be only one nodule in the early stage. Nodular soft or slightly hard, smooth, no tenderness. Sometimes the boundary of the nodule is not clear, and only irregular or lobulated sensation can be seen when touching the surface of thyroid gland. The progress of the disease is slow and most patients have no symptoms. Large nodular goiter can cause compression symptoms, dyspnea, dysphagia and hoarseness. Acute intranodal hemorrhage can cause sudden enlargement and pain of the mass. The symptoms can subside in a few days, and the enlarged mass can decrease in a few weeks or longer.

2. Nodular goiter with hyperthyroidism (Plummer's disease), patients with fatigue, weight loss, palpitations, arrhythmias, fear of heat and sweating, excitability and other symptoms, but no local thyroid vascular murmur and tremor, exophthalmos is rare, finger tremor is also rare. The symptoms of elderly patients are often atypical.

3. Whether the patient has a history of receiving radiation, oral medication and family history, whether the patient comes from an endemic goiter area, etc. Generally, nodular goiter has a long history, no compression symptoms, no symptoms of hyperthyroidism, patients do not care, inadvertently found thyroid nodules and come to check.

matters needing attention

A few of the cold nodules are hypothyroid. Kwai can be treated with thyroid preparations for 4~6 months, such as nodule reduction, which can be avoided from surgical treatment. If the nodules do not shrink, they will grow rapidly and involve the surrounding tissues. They should be considered malignant cancer and strive for surgical treatment as soon as possible.