What are the Causes of Goiter?
There are various different causes of a goiter: • Iodine Deficiency – Iodine found in fish products, drinking water and table salt, is essential for the production of thyroid hormone. If there is a lack of it, an individual will suffer from hypothyroidism. In an effort to produce more thyroid hormone the thyroid gland is over stimulated and enlarges to form an endemic goiter. An iodine deficiency is very common in underdeveloped countries. • Graves’ Disease – This is an autoimmune disorder which causes the thyroid gland to be overactive (hyperthyroidism). In Graves’ disease, antibodies produced by the immune system stimulate the thyroid gland which then enlarges, resulting in an enlarged goiter, and produces excess thyroid hormone. • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – Hashimoto’s disease is also an autoimmune disorder. The immune system destroys the thyroid gland which results in less thyroid hormone being produced. The pituitary gland then stimulates the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid h
