Thyroid gland is a small endocrine organ situated at front and the sides of the neck. It consists of right and left lobes connected by a narrow segment. Endocrine means it produces biologically active substances (hormones) to circulate with the blood and regulate the body processes.
Thyroid gland produces two very important hormones: thyroxine (T4) and [...]
Hypothyroidism occurs in 19 of 1000 women and 1 of 1000 men. Hypothyroidism is not aparent at the beginning and develops gradually, usually during years or even decades. The hypothyroidism symptoms are initially slight and are often taken as the result of stress, pregnancy etc. Hypothyroidism had been fatal diagnosis before medical preparations of thyroid [...]
Hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis) is the state of the body with excessive production of thyroid hormones. 70-80% of the patients are women. Thyrotoxicosis is an opposite state to hypothyroidism: when the level of thyroid hormones in the body is decreased, than all the processes are slowed down. In the state of thyrotoxicosis all methabolic processes are intensified. [...]
Thyroid gland nodules (nodular goiter) are tumors of thyroid gland that differ from the rest thyroid gland tissue by their structure and composition. They can be nonmalignant or malignant. The main danger of nonmalignant nodules is possibility to turn into malignant ones.
Reasons of thyroid gland nodules formation:
lack of iodine;
exposure of the thyroid gland to toxic [...]
At the early stage the disease may be not apparent. The symptoms are diverse that makes toxic goiter or Graves´ disease is characterized by increased thyroid hormones production. The thyroid gland grows in size due to autoimmune processes. Autoimmune diseases are caused by the immune system disorders when the body produces substances that damage own [...]
The diseases connected with the thyroid gland structural disorders are more frequent than those connected with the function disorders. They are the thyroid gland enlargement, nodes and cysts formation. The best method of the thyroid gland structural disorders is ultrasonic diagnostics. Palpation and visual diagnostic are less informative.
If ultrasoud diagnostics reveals the volume of thyroid [...]
The thyroid gland needs iodine for the hormones production. We usually consume iodine with the food. But there is often lack of iodine in our food. In this case endemic goiter can occur: compensatory enlargement of the thyroid gland. Daily need in iodine is 150 micrograms. Compensatory enlagement of the thyroid gland develops when [...]
