How are thyroid nodules formed and what are their classifications

Thyroid nodules are a common glandular disease in life. The thyroid gland is also an important secretory organ in the human body. If thyroid nodules appear, it will cause an imbalance in the endocrine environment. If you want to know the causes and classification of thyroid nodules, you can read below.

There are three main types of thyroid nodules:

The first type is nodular goiter, which is a degenerative lesion; the second type is thyroid adenoma, which is a benign tumor; the third type is thyroid cancer, which is a malignant thyroid nodule.

It is generally believed that the incidence of thyroid nodules is around 3% to 4%. In some high-incidence areas, it can reach 7% to 8%, and in very rare places it can even reach 10%. The high-incidence population is mainly women, generally women aged 20 to 40 are the most susceptible, but people of other age groups may also develop the disease. The incidence of thyroid cancer in thyroid nodule specimens removed during clinical surgery can be as high as 5% to 10%, so the possibility of thyroid nodules developing into cancer is still very high, so we must be extra vigilant. When performing a thyroid ultrasound examination, some nodules that occur at an earlier stage can be easily observed. The main causes of thyroid nodules are as follows:

1. Improper iodine intake:

Too much or too little iodine can cause the formation of thyroid nodules. Iodine can maintain normal thyroid function. Residents in coastal areas eat a lot of seafood in their daily lives, which leads to excessive iodine in their bodies and causes diseases. However, people in mountainous and plateau areas generally suffer from diseases due to insufficient iodine intake. Therefore, residents must control their iodine intake in their lives.

2. Heredity:

Thyroid nodules are closely related to heredity. As long as there is someone in the family suffering from this disease, the incidence rate will be higher. Over a long period of time, thyroid tumors will form, which may endanger the patient's life in severe cases. Some are because the incidence rate of offspring with a family history of thyroid nodules is higher than those without a family history, indicating that the disease is related to congenital heredity. The accumulation of nodule tissue over time forms a thyroid tumor, and the proliferation of local cell tissue over time forms thyroid cancer.

3. Environmental factors:

What factors cause thyroid nodules in life? Some residents live in high mountains where the water and soil are not suitable. Such an environment will affect the patient's spleen and stomach function, and will also affect the normal operation of the patient's qi and blood. Generally speaking, these two reasons are often closely related to the patient's physique: for example, women's physiological characteristics such as menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation are closely related to the liver meridian qi and blood.