Question

Thyroid Nodules - How To Manage It?

Apollo Clinic, Bora Service, Guwahati · Accepted Answer

Thyroid nodules are small soft lumps of thyroid tissues that develop around the thyroid gland in the base of your neck. These nodules are neither dangerous nor cancerous. Sometimes you cannot even feel the lump unless your doctor locates it during a routine check.

The thyroid is a small gland above your breast bone, which is responsible for generating hormones in your body. The abnormal growth of the thyroid tissues forms thyroid nodules which are only visible when these lumps are old and big enough.

Symptoms

Most of the thyroid lumps are not symptomatic and dangerous. In some cases, they can only be felt or seen as a swelling in the neck. These lumps press your windpipe, which creates difficulty in swallowing and breathing. In a few cases, thyroid nodules generate additional hormones called thyroxine which can lead to:

Sweating
Tremors in hands and legs
Unexplained weight loss
Nervousness
Rapid heartbeat

If you feel a lump in your neck or feeling any of the symptoms mentioned above, then it is advisable to consult a doctor for the same. Most of the thyroid nodules are not severe. But you need to get them diagnosed to eliminate the risk of cancer.

Diagnosis

While evaluating a lump in your neck, the doctor first determines whether it is cancerous or not. For this, he examines the lumps in several ways. These includes:

Physical examination: Doctors physically test your lumps and ask you to swallow some food or beverage. They also look for hyperthyroidism by checking your heart rate and tremors in hands and feet. If you have
swelling in the facial area then there are chances that you may have developed hypothyroidism.
Blood work: An initial way to test thyroid problem is to test blood samples for TSH, T3, andT4. If the results are within the normal range, then you do not have a thyroid condition.
Ultrasound: The high-frequency ultra-wave sound helps to image the thyroid glands from within. So that doctors can look at the imagery and determine the treatment.

There is another excellent way of testing thyroid nodules. It includes biopsy and thyroid special scan. The doctor suggests these tests only when he needs to clear some doubts.

Management and Treatment of Thyroid Nodules

The kind of treatment depends upon your condition. If the thyroid nodules are tested for benign then your doctor may ask you to wait and consistently check for any abnormal condition in your thyroid. This entails regular thyroid testing and conducting biopsy yearly. Doing this will help the doctor to determine whether the nodule is getting bigger. Some of the easy ways to manage thyroid nodule are to use thyroid
suppression medicines. These pills help in treating the thyroid nodules and control the generation of the thyroid hormones in the body. In very rare cases, thyroid nodules require surgery. However, if the nodules become larger and outwardly visible; then your doctor might suggest surgery.

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