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The human body is a very diverse system of complex details, and keeping track of how-when-where of innumerous problems may arise is very hard. Delve in to know about important causes of thyroid nodules.
6 Important Causes of Thyroid Nodules
In this article, we will learn more about the thyroid gland, thyroid nodules, diagnosis, causes of these thyroid nodules1, and treatment options.
Thyroid nodules are fluid-filled or solid lumps formed in your thyroid gland, read on to find out more!
1. About Thyroid Gland
The thyroid gland is a vital hormone gland located at the front of the neck, under the voice box. The two lobes lie against and around each side of the trachea (windpipe) and are connected by a narrow tissue strip at the front.
The thyroid gland plays a major role in the growth, development, and metabolism of the human body. It helps in the body’s normal functioning by constantly releasing thyroid hormones in controlled amounts into the bloodstream, it helps maintain homeostasis in the body.
The thyroid gland produces three hormones:
- Triiodothyronine, also known as T3
- Tetraiodothyronine, also called thyroxine or T4
- Calcitonin
T3 and T4 work together and regulate how our body uses energy. In simpler terms, they affect your metabolism. They also control your weight, muscle strength, body temperature, and nervous system.
On the other hand, calcitonin2 is involved in bone and calcium metabolism. In simpler terms, it helps to regulate calcium levels in your body.
2. About Thyroid Nodules
As mentioned earlier, thyroid nodules are fluid-filled or solid nodules/ lumps that may form within your thyroid gland. Most of these solid nodules are benign, non-cancerous thyroid nodules3.
Only a small percentage of thyroid nodules are cancerous thyroid nodules. The benign thyroid nodules aren’t severe and don’t cause symptoms. Often these benign nodules may go unnoticed until the doctor discovers them during a routine medical exam.
They may also get detected by your doctor during a scan that was done for another health concern. Sometimes, the thyroid nodules may become large enough to be visible. It may make it difficult to swallow or breathe also.
Symptoms:
Most thyroid nodules do not show any signs or symptoms. But sometimes, some nodules become so large that they can show the following signs and symptoms:
- Such nodules may be seen from the outside, often as a swelling at the base of your neck
- They may be felt on touching
- They may press on the esophagus or windpipe while swallowing or breathing respectively, making it difficult to swallow or breathe
In some cases, thyroid nodules produce additional thyroxine. Additional thyroxine release may produce hyperthyroidism symptoms (an overproduction of thyroid hormones). These symptoms include:
- Unexplained rapid weight loss
- Increases sweating
- Nervousness
- Tremors
- Irregular or rapid heartbeat
3. Diagnosis
While assessing a lump or nodule in your neck, one of your doctor’s main goals is to rule out the possibility of cancer. Another important goal is to check for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
For all the goals, different tests are performed on the patient and the results are analyzed for correct diagnosis.
Physical Exam:
This is the simplest examination, in which the patient is asked to swallow while the doctor examines the thyroid gland. If a nodule is present in your thyroid gland, it will usually move up and down during swallowing.
The doctor also analyzes and looks for the physical signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism,4 like tremors, overly active reflexes, and a rapid or irregular heartbeat. The doctor may also look out for signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism like a slow heartbeat, dry skin, and facial swelling.
Thyroid Gland Function Test:
Tests that measure blood levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and hormones produced by your thyroid gland are done. It can indicate whether you have hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Treatment will accordingly vary.
Ultrasound:
This imaging technique involves high-frequency sound waves to produce images of your thyroid gland. It provides the most accurate information in the form of an image about the shape and structure of nodules.
Through thyroid ultrasound, doctors can distinguish cysts from solid nodules or determine if multiple nodules are present. Doctors may also use the data from ultrasound as a guide in performing a fine-needle aspiration biopsy.
Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy:
To make sure there is no cancer present, doctors perform a biopsy.5 In this, a small sample portion of cells is removed via a very thin needle insertion, it doesn’t take a lot of time. However, there are risk factors involved in this.
The doctor uses ultrasound to help guide the placement of the needle. After extraction, these small sample portions of cells are sent to a laboratory to analyze them under a microscope.
Thyroid Scan:
Another method to evaluate thyroid nodules is a thyroid scan6. In this test, an isotope of radioactive iodine is injected into a vein in the arm. A special camera produces an image of the thyroid on a computer screen while the patient is lying down.
The nodules that produce excess thyroid hormone (hot nodules) are illuminated on the screen during the scan because they take up more of the isotope than normal thyroid tissue does. Hot nodules are mostly non-cancerous.
Sometimes, nodules that take up less of the isotope (cold nodules) are generally cancerous. However, a thyroid scan can’t distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous nodules.
Bottom Line
On the thyroid gland, a nodule of the thyroid is an uncommon lump (growth) of cells. They are ordinary, practically invariably benign (noncancerous), and frequently are not accompanied by any symptoms.
So, it’s better to get checked at the first sign of discomfort, because, as it goes, prevention is better than cure.
Stay safe and healthy!
- Detweiler, Keri, Dawn M. Elfenbein, and Daniel Mayers. “Evaluation of thyroid nodules.” Surgical Clinics 99.4 (2019): 571-586. ↩︎
- Sexton, P. M., D. M. Findlay, and T. J. Martin. “Calcitonin.” Current medicinal chemistry 6.11 (1999): 1067–1093. ↩︎
- Corrias, Andrea, and Alessandro Mussa. “Thyroid nodules in pediatrics: which ones can be left alone, which ones must be investigated, when and how.” Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology 5.Suppl 1 (2013): 57. ↩︎
- Kostoglou-Athanassiou, Ifigenia, and K. Ntalles. “Hypothyroidism -new aspects of an old disease.” Hippokratia 14.2 (2010): 82. ↩︎
- Gharib, Hossein, and John R. Goellner. “Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid: an appraisal.” Annals of internal medicine 118.4 (1993): 282-289. ↩︎
- Sabel, Michael S., et al. “Effectiveness of the thyroid scan in evaluation of the solitary thyroid nodule.” The American surgeon 63.7 (1997): 660-3. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Muskan Mishra
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