What is the outlook for someone with a thyroid disease?
Depending on the disease being treated the outcomes can vary. • Some thyroid diseases (such as postpartum thyroiditis) can be self-limited. • Other diseases can be easily treated with long-term medications (as in Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism). • If the patient has a compressive goiter, the symptoms of compression can be completely cured with surgery. • In thyroid cancer, depending on the type of cancer, the extent of the disease and the underlying health of the patient, the cancer may be completely curable, or may require a prolonged course of treatment with a poor outcome if cancer is widespread. Thyroid Disease At A Glance • The thyroid is an organ responsible for the production of thyroid hormones. • Thyroid hormones are essential to the regulation of metabolism and other functions of the body. • If thyroid hormone levels are not in a normal range, signs and symptoms of thyroid disease may occur. • In addition to the function of the gland, thyroid structural abnormalities may occur. S
