Cyst on thyroids forms as a result of an abnormal growth of thyroid glands that may be less than one centimeter or quite large. The thyroid gland is located in the neck region where your collarbones meet, they are common in women as compared to men. The percentage of being a sufferer increases with age, they do not show symptoms due to how small it can be, however if your thyroid nodule is big, one can notice the swelling of the neck and in rare cases other symptoms. If you notice such a symptom on your body you have to seek medical advise immediately.
It is mostly discoverable during a routine medical exam with your doctor, in other cases some nodules progress in size to the point of been felt and seen as a result of swelling in the neck region. Large nodules sometimes press against structures found in the neck, this brings about symptoms like enlarged thyroid gland in the neck, problems swallowing food, changing voice, neck pains and problems with breathing especially if one lies down. They are at times found in persons with Hashimoto’s disease that causes symptoms of an under-active thyroid gland such as face swelling, hair loss, dry skin, fatigue, gaining weight, having irregular menstrual cycle and a feeling of coldness despite warm temperatures.
In other cases the nodules produce extra thyroxine bringing about symptoms of such as intolerance to heat, tremor, unexplained weight loss, warm and sweaty skin, increased appetite, restlessness, nervousness, irregular menstrual cycle, skin flushing or blushing and a fast heart beat. A sufferer also experiences tiredness or depression, constipation, feel cold, have memory problems and have dry skin. A few nodules are cancerous however determining this cannot be done by symptoms alone, hence need for medical examination. A thyroid nodule can be cancer due to family history of thyroid cancer, having a hard nodule, if younger than 20 and older than 70 or a sufferer is male.
Diagnosis And Treatment
Treatment rendered can be surgery to help in removing all or most of the thyroid gland, this is done if the nodule causes symptoms such as breathing and swallowing problems. Surgery can be performed if diagnosis is thyroid cancer, also if diagnosis cannot establish if its cancer or not or the nodule producing excessive thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine is also used to treat patients with too much thyroid hormone, it helps in reducing the activity and size of the nodule, pregnant women should not be administered this treatment.
If the cyst on thyroid symptoms mentioned can be seen, consult a doctor to evaluate the possibility of cancer. Treatment provided will vary depending on the thyroid nodule, if it proves non-cancerous recommended treatment will be careful follow-up, this involves a repeated thyroid biopsy followed by an ultrasound after the diagnosis. The thyroid biopsy is always repeated 6 to 12 moths after diagnosis, this is important for nodules that have grown, apart from that another possible treatment is ethanol or alcohol which is administered by injecting the nodule causing a shrinking effect.