What are the symptoms of multinodular goiter

Although our country is becoming stronger and stronger and people's lives are getting better and better, more diseases seem to have begun to appear. Especially in some iodine-deficient areas in our country, many people suffer from thyroid diseases. Although some iodine has been added to table salt, people in some places do not like to eat this processed salt, and instead eat salt they make themselves. Multinodular goiter is also a thyroid disease. What are the symptoms?

Symptoms and signs

1. The patient has a long-term history of simple goiter. The age of onset is generally over 30 years old. There are more women than men. The degree of thyroid enlargement varies and is often asymmetric. The number and size of nodules vary, generally there are multiple nodules, and in the early stages there may be only one nodule. The nodules are soft or slightly hard, smooth and non-tender. Sometimes the boundaries of the nodules are unclear, and the surface of the thyroid gland only feels irregular or lobed when touched. The disease progresses slowly and most patients are asymptomatic. Larger nodular goiters may cause compressive symptoms, including difficulty breathing, dysphagia, and hoarseness. Acute bleeding into a nodule may cause a sudden increase in size and pain; symptoms may subside within a few days, and an enlarged mass may decrease in size over a few weeks or longer.

2. When nodular goiter develops hyperthyroidism (Plummer's disease), the patient has symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, palpitations, arrhythmia, heat intolerance, sweating, and irritability, but there is no local vascular murmur or tremor in the thyroid gland, exophthalmos is rare, and finger tremor is also rare. Symptoms in elderly patients are often atypical.

3. Whether the patient has a history of radiation exposure, oral medication history and family history, whether the patient comes from an area where goiter is endemic, etc. Generally, nodular goiter has a long history, with no compression symptoms and no symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Most patients do not care about it and come for medical examination only when they accidentally discover thyroid nodules.

4. If it is a hot nodule, also known as a toxic nodule, the patient is mostly over 40 to 50 years old, the nodule is of medium hardness, there are symptoms of hyperthyroidism, and even atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias may occur. If there is bleeding, there may be pain and even fever. When the nodules are large, compression symptoms may occur, such as dysarthria, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and irritating cough.

5. For example, patients with nodular goiter from iodine-deficient areas may have low thyroid function, and clinically they may also experience slow heart rate, edema, rough skin, and anemia. A small number of patients may also develop cancer. Warm nodules are more common and can be treated with thyroid preparations, and the enlarged glands can be shrunk. Cold nodules are relatively rare. Patients with clinical hypothyroidism can be treated with thyroid preparations, but surgical treatment is often required.

Preventive Care

1. Try to avoid multiple neck radiological examinations and irradiation.

2. Check thyroid function and nodule characteristics regularly every year to detect and treat them early.

3. Those who have undergone surgery for thyroid nodules should also undergo regular checkups to avoid recurrence.

4. For patients with thyroid nodules who are treated with thyroid hormones and the therapeutic effect is not good, they should seek surgical treatment as soon as possible to prevent deterioration.

5. Regardless of whether the thyroid nodule is single, multiple, hot, warm or cold, it is more active and safer to adopt surgical treatment to prevent the missed diagnosis of malignant nodules.

In addition to iodine deficiency which can easily cause multinodular goiter, there are many other factors that can cause this disease. For example, it may be affected by family genetics, or it may be caused by working or living in an area affected by radiation for a long time, or it may be caused by chemical stimulation in life. Regardless of the cause of the disease, the most important thing for patients is to receive correct and timely treatment.