What's that Lump on my Neck

image courtesy of www.imagekid.com

You might be wondering what is a goiter. A goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland which leads to very large bumps in the front and sides of the neck. These large bumps are caused by the lack of iodine in a diet. Iodine is found in most food products in the U.S but it is still a significant problem around the world. Goiters are found in all age groups and races however, they are mostly in third world countries like India and Africa due to the lack of processed foods. They are also at a higher percentage of middle aged women. It is important that more people can be aware of this disorder before it becomes a problem and scars you for life. Before anyone gets worried about getting a goiter there are ways to prevent this from happening. 

Some people believe that overweight people are the ones to contract a goiter, yes being overweight has been linked to having goiters but it can happen to anyone.  To prevent goiters there are things one can change in their life to not get one. Things such as smoking, lack of iodine, eating bad foods, and being pregnant have been linked to causing goiters. Some foods you may want to avoid are too many calciferous veggies like cauliflower and broccoli while pregnant. Although they are very nutritious they can cause goiters because it can block the uptake and absorption of iodine in ones diet. A simple goiter can occur without a known reason. It can occur when the thyroid gland is not able to make enough thyroid hormone to meet the body's needs. This can be due to a lack of iodine in a person's diet. To make up for the shortage of thyroid hormone, the thyroid gland grows larger.

There are a few warning signs to look for to alert you before a goiter develops. Some symptoms you may have before a goiter emerges  includes: coughing, high-pitched noisy breathing, popped out veins in the neck, and having a hard time swallowing.  (Talk about the what it looks like when it starts developing and maybe some additional complications from having a goiter.)

• Toxic nodular goiter is an enlarged thyroid gland that has a small, rounded growth or many growths called nodules. One or more of these nodules produce too much thyroid hormone.
• Simple goiters may occur in people who live in areas where the soil and water do not have enough iodine. People in these areas might not get enough iodine in their diet.
• Certain medicines (lithium, amiodarone)
• Infections
• Cigarette smoking
• Certain foods (soy, peanuts, vegetables in the broccoli and cabbage family)
• Persons over age 40
• People with a family history of goiter
• Women

All people talk about these days is the danger of Ebola, high blood pressure and cancer. There are so many other diseases and disorders that are looked over because they are not as prevalent. Although goiters might be fun to say it's not funny and is a widespread problem that can easily be fixed if people paid more attention to the symptoms.  




For more information about goiters please visit:
http://endocrinediseases.org/thyroid/goiter_diagnosis.shtml
http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/thyroid/thyroid-nodules
http://imgkid.com/endemic-goiter.shtml
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/goiter/basics/definition/con-20021266, 

References