The thyroid gland is actively involved in the production of important hormones that are necessary for the regulation of metabolism and cell division. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to many diseases, among which benign thyroid tumors occupy a special place. How to recognize a neoplasm? Consider the causes, methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Prerequisites for the occurrence
It is known for certain that there are a lot of reasons for the formation of benign thyroid tumors. The main ones are the following:
- Iodine deficiency, which affects people living away from the sea or not consuming enough iodine with food.
- Adverse living conditions, which include life in large cities with a high level of gas contamination.
- Work in a harmful enterprise.
- Radiation exposure.
- Exposure to mercury vapor.
- Bad habits, such as smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Stress, depression, constant increased emotional stress.
- Genetic predisposition.
- The sharp hormonal changes that a woman undergoes during pregnancy or menopause.
It is also known that women are the most susceptible to the occurrence of benign neoplasms, since they have a more complex hormonal background. Also at risk are women over the age of 30 due to natural hormonal changes in the body. Cases of the disease among men and children are quite rare.
Varieties of benign tumors
Most patients with thyroid problems are faced with benign neoplasms. They may be as follows:
- Follicular adenoma of the thyroid gland. The disease is characterized by the appearance in the gland of small nodules that disrupt the production of hormones by the body.
- Papillary adenoma is characterized by neoplasms on the gland in the form of small papillae.
- Toxic adenoma, or toxic goiter.
- Cysts that may occur due to inflammatory diseases.
All these diseases are treatable, especially in the initial stages. Moreover, in the absence of adequate treatment for benign thyroid tumors, there is a risk of malignancy of the neoplasm. The most common among the tumors described above is follicular adenoma.
Symptoms
Depending on the type of tumor, its manifestations may differ or even be blurry and fuzzy. However, there are general symptoms of a benign thyroid tumor, according to which you can suspect the development of the disease:
- Visual changes in the contours of the neck, among which there may be a bulge of the gland on one or both sides, nodes that are noticeable on palpation.
- Sore throat, discomfort when swallowing food.
- Chronic sore throat.
- Cough.
- Respiratory failure.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Changes in voice, such as hoarseness or persistent hoarseness.
- Swelling of the neck.
- A sharp increase or decrease in body weight.
- Menstrual irregularities.
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Increased sweating.
- Cramps in the limbs.
- Tachycardia.
- Regular headaches and dizziness.
The abundance of possible symptoms of a benign thyroid tumor in women or men does not at all mean that when a pathology occurs, a person experiences all of them. Often the reason to suspect a disease is just a few of the symptoms described above.
Diagnostic Methods
Endocrinologists are involved in the treatment of thyroid diseases. They diagnose similar pathologies. The study begins with a history and information about the symptoms, a visual examination of the patient, palpation of the neck, as well as the appointment of the following diagnostic methods:
- Blood test.
- Analysis of the hormones that the thyroid gland produces.
- Ultrasound to determine the location of the tumor, as well as its borders.
- MRI or CT to obtain more informative information about the nature of the tumor.
- Scintigraphy, which is necessary to assess the level of functionality of the thyroid gland.
The photo obtained by MRI or ultrasound of a benign thyroid tumor helps to determine its belonging to a specific type of neoplasm, which further determines the treatment tactics.
Drug therapy
The difference between a benign and malignant tumor of the thyroid gland is that cancer is able to form metastases, which are carried by the flow of blood and lymph, affecting organs in its path. A benign tumor does not have such properties, but it significantly worsens the quality of life of a sick person. At the initial stages of the disease, drug therapy is able to completely suppress the development of tumors and restore impaired organ functions.
For these purposes, iodine-based drugs are used if the disease is caused by a lack of it, hormonal therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin complexes to increase the level of immunity. Typically, drug treatment lasts from 1 to 6 months, after which its effectiveness is evaluated, according to doctors and patients, it is about 80%. If positive dynamics is not observed, then the patient is registered in the oncology clinic and other types of treatment of benign thyroid neoplasms are applied to him.
Surgical treatment
When choosing a method for the treatment of benign neoplasms, doctors are repelled by many factors, for example, the degree of organ damage. In most cases, when a benign thyroid tumor is removed, part of the organ remains in place and continues to function, this saves a person from lifelong intake of hormone replacement drugs. With this method of treatment, only the affected part is removed, while they try to maintain healthy gland tissue as much as possible.
If more than 70% of the organ is affected, complete removal of the thyroid gland is considered appropriate. In this case, the patient will need to take drugs containing hormones for life that the thyroid gland normally produces.
Forecast
In most cases, benign thyroid tumors are successfully treated conservatively. Doctors resort to full or partial resection of the thyroid gland in extreme cases - when its size exceeds 70% of the size of the organ or there is a risk of malignancy.
However, even with a successful solution to the problem with a medication, the patient is required to undergo a routine examination once every 6 months, since problems with the thyroid gland can occur repeatedly.
Treatment with folk remedies
Therapy with medicinal herbs cannot be considered the main one, however, it takes place as an additional treatment. For this, decoctions and infusions from such medicinal plants are used:
- Central Icelandic;
- woodwax;
- common oxen;
- common bruise;
- comfrey officinalis.
These plants have the function of suppressing the thyroid gland and reduce the amount of hormones produced. This is useful if, in the presence of a tumor, the thyroid gland produces an increased amount of hormones.
Some of these herbs are toxic, so their use can occur only after consulting the attending physician and indicating to them the allowable dosages of drugs.
At the same time, there are 2 main cooking methods - infusion and brewing. To prepare according to the first method, some of the dried and crushed raw materials must be poured with boiling water and insisted for an hour. After cooling, the medicine is ready for use. To prepare broths, it is necessary to cook medicinal herbs for 15-20 minutes.
Prevention
Symptoms of benign tumors can be so unexpressed that a person may not be aware of their presence. In order not to miss the development of the disease, after 30 years it is important to visit the endocrinologist every year for preventive purposes and take a blood test for biochemistry and hormones. It is also recommended to reduce the number of factors that provoke the growth of tumors, as much as possible in modern conditions. For example, stop smoking and drinking alcohol, change jobs, if it is associated with harmful emissions, more to be in the fresh air.