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Goiter Disease
By Administrator | April 12, 2008
Goiter Disease
Goiter is a swelling of thyroid gland in upper neck that seems like a couple of reverse pouch connected with a narrow bridge in front of Adam’s apple. Thyroid has complex function, such setting burning level of the body. Just like all endocrine glands, thyroid gland also works together with other glands, then there may be vary disturbance of its function will affect. For example, if this gland is active, heart rate will be faster and the sufferer will have short–winded, restless, and angry easily. Appetite increases because sufferer always feels hungry, but her weight always decreases, so she became thinner. Also, menstruation disturbance and difficulty to be pregnant (most goiter sufferer of thyroid is women).
Disease from too active thyroid gland is known as thyrotoxicosis or some time as “Graves” disease (Graves is a doctor from
When baby born with less active thyroid gland, she will have a mental defect and slow movement. This condition is known as cretinism. Administer hormones she needs for along her rest of life will help. However, the existence of goiter does not always mean that there is a disease inside thyroid gland. Many factors causing a goiter and gives no symptoms at all. For example is physiologic goiter. This type of goiter often happens to teenagers and sometimes to pregnant or menopause women. There is no problems following this goiter, except become bigger. Nevertheless, in few countries, goiter was assumed as beauty sign of a woman. Most pictures or paintings of women in Renaissance age have a big neck because of goiter, which they thought it increased the beauty of woman.
There is a disease typed-goiter that often both man and woman suffer from. Its shape is not like common goiter and caused by lack of iodine. Iodine is an important substance in gland function and as a main element of thyroxin. When someone lack of iodine, her gland will be bigger and then try to balance and produce more hormones. Finally, the gland will swell and push pharynx, so the sufferer will take a breath hardly. If the swelling in both sides are not balance, her head will slope. This type of goiter often found in places where the water contents lack iodine, such a place far away from beach, like mountain area.
Recently, most countries in the world mix iodine in salt, then this type of goiter is less and less. So, the only type of goiter affects sufferer become thinner is which caused by too active thyroid gland, called toxic goiter. Sometimes, medicine can cure this goiter, like tiourasil or imidasol or kalium perclorate or may also administer of isotope radioactive iodine (I131).
Those medicines have effect destroying excessive tissues. However, the most effective curing is surgery (lift only a part of goiter, because it may cause mixdemia). There are also another type of goiter need no cure at all as long as it is not bigger and bigger; and not disturb.
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