Guide To The Causes, Risk Factors, And Complications Of Thyroid Nodules

Hypothyroidism

An individual who has hypothyroidism may develop nodules in their thyroid gland as a complication of their thyroid condition. The most common cause of hypothyroidism that results in the development of thyroid nodules is Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hashimoto's thyroiditis occurs when the individual's immune system inappropriately attacks the tissues of the thyroid gland, causing them to become damaged. The individual's body responds to this tissue damage by implicating its repair and healing processes. During this process of repairing damage to the thyroid tissue, mistakes and errors may occur in the reconstruction of cellular DNA. Errors in the DNA of thyroid cells may cause them to grow further and divide more often. This malfunction does not always cause cancerous growth of the affected tissue, but benign growths of healthy thyroid tissue referred to as adenomas or thyroid nodules. Individuals who are deficient in iodine, which is required for the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone, may develop hypothyroidism. This type of hypothyroidism can produce thyroid nodules when levels of TSH in the blood keep forcing the thyroid tissues to expand in an attempt to improve the absorption of iodine.

Thyroid Cancer

Three out of every twenty thyroid nodules that develop in the population are malignant or cancerous. Thyroid nodules that end up being malignant upon tissue biopsy will be papillary cancer, the most prevalent form of thyroid cancer. When thyroid nodules are discovered, they are almost always evaluated further using diagnostic imaging tests and or tissue biopsies to rule out or confirm malignancy. Individuals affected by thyroid nodules with any solid content are at a greater risk of developing thyroid cancer. The increased opportunity for carcinogenesis-inducing cellular DNA mutation is the result of the thyroid tissue overgrowth that causes nodules to form. The risk of cancer-causing cellular DNA mutation increases as the general activity of the cell division process in the thyroid gland increases. Thyroid nodules that are continually going through changes are more likely to undergo carcinogenesis than smaller nodules that change gradually or not at all.