Medical Questions & Answers

Question: My doctor has told me that the swelling in the front of my neck is a goiter, and has sent me for blood tests. I didn’t even notice that it was there. What is a goiter? Can it be serious?
A goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland. It may be due to an overactive gland, or lack of iodine in the diet. Iodine is essential for the formation of thyroid hormones, and if it is lacking, the gland swells up in an attempt to compensate.
At other times, swelling may be due to over activity of the thyroid, or other diseases. Blood tests and special scans can be done to determine the cause, and then the appropriate treatment may be given. Thyroid cysts and cancer may cause swelling of one part of the gland, but this is not strictly a goiter. The vast majority of goiters can be completely cured, and there is no reason for concern.

Question: I am 68 years old, fit as a fiddle, but get very tired at times. My GP says my thyroid gland is to blame, and I have to take tablets. Are these really necessary, and what is an under active thyroid gland?
The thyroid gland sits in the front of your neck, and secretes a hormone called thyroxine into your bloodstream. This hormone controls the metabolic rate of your body. This is the rate at which all cells in the body work, so that thyroxine controls the rate at which the liver, kidneys, gut and all other organs function. If the thyroid gland becomes under active, and secretes too little of the hormone, you feel tired, cold, constipated, have dry skin and your hair may thin out. This is a common problem in women after the menopause and is controlled by taking the correct dose of thyroxine by tablet on a regular basis.
Your GP is correct, you should take the tablets, and you may well find that you can do far more, and enjoy your life to the full again. You should have regular blood tests to ensure that the dose of thyroid hormone you are taking is adequate.

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Filed under: Glands