Goiters: Abnormally Large Thyroid Glands
A goiter is an abnormally large thyroid gland. A goiter develops either because the whole gland is swollen or the gland has multiple growths or nodules on it. While some people with a goiter have no symptoms, others may have symptoms of an overactive or underactive thyroid.
Causes of goiters include:
Iodine deficiency— A goiter may be caused by not getting enough iodine through the foods you eat.
Thyroiditis— This condition is an inflammation of the cells in the thyroid that may cause the thyroid to produce too much or too little thyroid hormone.
Graves’ disease—autoimmune disorder which causes hyperthyroidism. Grave’s disease causes the body to produce a protein called thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin that mistakenly attacks the thyroid, causing it to overproduce thyroid hormones and swell in size.
Hashimoto’s disease— autoimmune disorder in which antibodies damage thyroid cells, leaving fewer cells to produce thyroid hormones. The pituitary gland, which controls your thyroid, stimulates the thyroid to produce more hormones, making the thyroid swell.
Thyroid nodules— Nodules are overgrowths of tissue that may overproduce thyroid hormone or may not cause any symptoms. Rarely, nodules may contain cancer cells.
Thyroid cancer— Cancerous cells may grow in nodules on the thyroid.
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Soy. Soy has been linked to Goiter development as it contains phytoestrogens which disrupts thyroid function often also causing elevated TSH levels.