Symptoms And Treatment Of A Thyroid Nodule Essay

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, also called Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland. It was named for the Japanese surgeon who discovered it in 1912 The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland in the front of the neck. The thyroid makes hormones called T3 and T4. These hormones regulate metabolism. The thyroid is controlled by hormones of the pituitary gland, which is also called the “master gland.” It is a pea-sized gland located in the base of the brain which, among others, makes thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. TSH stimulates the thyroid to make thyroid hormone. With Hashimoto’s disease, the thyroid cells are damaged resulting in the inability to make enough thyroid

Dr. Hakaru Hashimoto identified four patients with similar characteristics such as: “diffuse lymphocytic infiltration, fibrosis, parenchymal atrophy, and eosinophilic change in some of the acinar cells.” Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis often presents a painless yet enlarged thyroid gland, called a goiter. Hashimoto’s disease was often misdiagnosed and often found by either surgery or a thyroidectomy, according to Syrenicz, Anhelli (2013)

A goiter, nodules, or growths may be found during a physical exam, and symptoms may suggest hypothyroidism.

Has a medical professional diagnosed you with Hashimoto’s disease? Or has a doctor given a Hashimoto’s disease diagnosis to someone close to you, perhaps in your family? You must be wondering how this could happen. What will you need to do now? How will this affect your day-to-day life? What happens next? What does the future likely hold for you or your loved one?

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is the rarest, most devastating form of thyroid malignancy. Also known as undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma, it makes up only 1-2% of all thyroid cancers but is responsible for the majority of thyroid cancer-related deaths3,9,10.

Hypothyroidism is caused by the thyroid’s gland inability to produce thyroid hormone as required by the body. The diagnosis of hypothyroidism requires the laboratory testing of the thyroid stimulating hormone known as TSH. When the TSH is found to be elevated, a clinician should repeat the test along with a free thyroxine (T4) measurement. If the TSH is found to be elevated, while the T4 is normal, the patient is said to suffer from subclinical hypothyroidism. However, if the TSH is elevated and the T4 is low, the diagnosis is primary hypothyroidism (Gaitonde et al., 2012).

Thyroid Cancer is a thyroid neoplasm that develops in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland consists of two large lobes that are connected by the isthmus and is located below the larynx on both sides of the trachea. The gland secretes hormones from the hypothalamus that may be stored in the colloid or released into the blood in capillaries. In the endocrine system, the thyroid gland secretes hormones that act on cells with specific receptors called target cells. When cancer develops in the thyroid, the production of hormones is disrupted. The cancer cells in the thyroid do not grow or divide normally and can develop into growths or tumors.

Thyroid nodules, or lumps, are very common. They occur in over half of the world's population, but only 5 per cent of them are cancerous. Nodules are referred to as either 'hot' or 'cold,' depending on the amount of radioactive iodine it concentrates, or takes up, when testing for the type of nodule it is.

The aggressiveness of each type of thyroid cancer is different. There are four main stages in each of the types of thyroid cancer except for anaplastic cancer (Rubin 91). In the stage I of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, the cancer is located only in the thyroid and may be found in one or both of the lobes. In stage II if the patients are younger than 45 years of age, the cancer has spread beyond the thyroid. But if the patient is older than 45 years of age, the cancer is only in the thyroid and is larger than 1 centimeter. In stage III, the cancer is usually found in patients older than 45 years of age and has spread outside of the thyroid or has spread to the lymph nodes but not outside of the neck. In stage IV, the cancer is again usually found in patients over the age of 45. It most likely has spread to other parts of the

A radioactive scan may be done to see whether the entire thyroid gland is overactive. In this scan, radioactive iodine is administered to the patient which then may demonstrate diffuse enlargement and increased uptake of radioiodine. The extent of this uptake helps determine the dose of radioactive iodine necessary for treatment. Ultrasound may also be utilized to help determine the size and location of the affected thyroid gland, which can then be paired with the radioactive

Some of these diagnoses include a physical exam, blood sample, radioactive iodine uptake and ultrasound1. With a physical exam, the doctor will check the patient’s eyes to see if they are bulging out or the area around the eye looks enlarged. They well check to see if the thyroid gland is abnormally large and because of its association with increase metabolism, the doctor will check the pulse and blood pressure of the patient and look for signs of tremors which are involuntary quivering movements1. Only in severe cases will a blood test detect TSI in the bloodstream, if TSI does not show up in a patient’s blood, then a radioactive iodine may be conducted. This is because the thyroid intakes iodine from the bloodstream and uses that iodine in order to make thyroid hormones so the radioactive iodine is inserted in the bloodstream and is collected by the thyroid gland, is the thyroid gland collects large amounts of this radioactive iodine, then the patient may have Graves’ disease3. If the patient is pregnant, that patient cannot undergo radioactive treatment because the radioactive iodine could harm the fetus’ thyroid and can be passed from the mother to the child in breast milk if the mother is breastfeeding4. An ultrasound can use the high-frequency waves to produce images of structures inside the body and can show if the thyroid gland is enlarged or

A thyroid nodule is an isolated growth of thyroid cells that forms a lump in your thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland. It is found in the lower front of your neck. This gland sends chemical messengers (hormones) through your blood to all parts of your body. These hormones are important for regulating your body temperature and helping your body use energy. Thyroid nodules are common. Most are not cancerous (benign). You may have one or several nodules.

Thyroid nodules are lumps in the thyroid often called adenomas. These adenomas are quite common affecting around seven percent our countries population. These lumps on the thyroid can become very active and thus produce a large amount of thyroid hormone. In some cases hyperthyroidism is brought on by consuming too much medication that treats an underactive thyroid.

At this time, it is not clear how much diagnostic radiation is contributing to the increase in thyroid cancer cases. It is possible that the increase in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer can be attributed to a greater rate of detection by use of ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration3. The thyroid tissue itself is among the tissues that are less sensitive to radiation, however, thyroid cancer is still such a concern because the thyroid is so superficial in the body1 (77). “Even doses as small as 50–100 mGy have been associated with an increased risk of thyroid malignancy in children, with a

Toxic nodular goiters are nodules that secrete thyroid hormones independent of TSH stimulation. They are usually benign follicular adenomas. Nodules larger than about 3 cm can cause a thyrotoxic crisis, also known as thyroid storm. This is a life threatening emergency; death is rare if treatment is initiated early and vigorously.