Diffuse thyroid changes are not a sentence

The number of patients who are now diagnosed with diffuse changes in the thyroid gland, unfortunately, is increasing every day. And the reasons for this phenomenon are a few - from the actual increase in the number of patients with this diagnosis in the population due to nutritional characteristics, changes in the ecological background, to improve diagnostic capabilities. Modern equipment allows performing the necessary instrumental studies and laboratory tests in a very short period of time, and patients do not have to undergo potentially dangerous examinations (radioisotope scans of the gland tissue, radiography) in the vast majority of cases. The performance of laboratory tests and ultrasound of the anterior part of the neck helps to establish the correct diagnosis.

Identified changes - should we pay attention to this

It must be remembered that diffuse changes in the thyroid parenchyma are often detected even when the dispensary is randomly performed - in the palpation of the anterior part of the neck, the doctor notices a slight increase in the volume of the organ and then directs the patient for in-depth examination. In this case, patients often do not have any complaints about the functioning of the endocrine glands (while maintaining the normal content of hormones), but even small loads can provoke the appearance of symptoms of trouble. With the same probability, patients can develop both states with an increased level of hormones, and with reduced concentrations of thyroxine and triiodothyronine - both states have a negative effect on the processes of tissue metabolism in the body as a whole and can provoke pathological changes in various organs and systems.

In addition, diffuse-focal changes in the thyroid gland are very suspicious in terms of benign and malignant tumors. For this reason, if a glandular tissue larger than 1 cm in diameter is detected during ultrasound examination, the physician must send the patient to a biopsy of the detected node. Only after receiving a qualified histological conclusion and the results of laboratory tests (including, and studies of the level of TSH, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, antithyroid antibodies), the doctor will be able to diagnose and prescribe the treatment.

The level of hormones and the degree of changes detected - are they always related

In those cases when the ultrasonography of the neck reveals diffuse changes in the thyroid gland, the patient must necessarily be sent for the study of hormonal status. First of all, a direction is given to determine the level of hormones that are produced by the thyroid gland or affect these parameters. Only when identifying changes to the patient can be assigned to studies of the level of sex hormones, prolactin, steroid hormones of the body, but these tests are desirable to perform after consultation of a cardiologist, neurologist, gynecologist or andrologist, in very rare cases - a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. The need for this approach is dictated by the fact that diffuse changes in the thyroid often cause both an increase in the number of hormones and a sharp decrease in their concentration, which negatively affects the work of individual systems and the organism as a whole.

Often even qualified endocrinologists doubt whether it is necessary to prescribe special hormonal drugs for the normalization of thyroid function when it is oppressed and to use drugs that suppress the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Attempts to self-medicate or unjustified cancellation of the recommended therapy in cases where diffuse changes in the thyroid gland are detected can lead to severe abnormalities of the internal organs that can develop gradually (with a smooth change in the hormonal profile) or abruptly, which often leads the patient to the intensive care units of endocrinological Hospitals.