Thyroid nodule symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
What is Thyroid nodule :
The thyroid nodule is a growth area of the thyroid gland.
How does it occur ?
Thyroid nodules may be due to:
- Benign tumors: adenomas
- malignancies: carcinomas, which may be of different types:
- Papillary: 80-90%
- Follicular 5-10%
- or C medullary cells (producing calcitonin): 10%
- Anaplastic or undifferentiated
- cysts (benign)
Thyroid nodules Symptoms
Nodules can cause symptoms or be asymptomatic. The symptoms that occur do so:
Growing compress neighboring structures, giving hoarseness or difficulty breathing.
If you are producing clinical hyperthyroidism functioning.
Thyroid nodules Diagnosis
In 5% of adults with thyroid nodules can be felt. But the best technique for detection and diagnosis is ultrasound. Keep in mind that thyroid nodules are very common, but thyroid cancer is rare.
In case of being a solitary nodule and young people, the risk of malignancy is higher, so should puncture to obtain a sample and analyze.
Thyroid nodules Treatment
In nodules suspected to be benign and do not cause local symptoms enough to make regular monitoring clinical and ultrasound.
Patients with functional nodules sometimes treated with radioactive iodine, which reduces its size, however, this treatment can cause hypothyroidism and thyroiditis.
Surgery is recommended in the case of thyroid cancer, or when there are doubts about this origin, or when significant accompanying symptoms occur.
Thyroid nodules Precautions
There are no preventive measures for cancer or thyroid adenoma, but enough iodine prophylaxis in food, help prevent goiter nodules.
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