Goiter is defined as?

Goiter is defined as?

• A. Enlargement of the thyroid gland
• B. Deficiency of iodine in the diet
• C. Hyperthyroidism
• D. Thyroid cancer

Answer: (A)

Goiter is enlargement of the thyroid gland. It shows up as swelling or a lump in the front of the neck and can involve the whole gland (diffuse enlargement) or have one or more nodules (nodular enlargement). The defining feature is the increase in size of the thyroid, regardless of how its function is working or whether a malignancy is present. Iodine deficiency is a common cause in some regions because lack of iodine can stimulate the gland to grow, but the condition being described by goiter is simply the enlargement itself. Hyperthyroidism describes an overactive thyroid and may accompany an enlarged gland but is about hormone production, not the size. Thyroid cancer is a malignant growth and is not what the term goiter means, though a lump from cancer can be felt in the neck.

Goiter is enlargement of the thyroid gland. It shows up as swelling or a lump in the front of the neck and can involve the whole gland (diffuse enlargement) or have one or more nodules (nodular enlargement). The defining feature is the increase in size of the thyroid, regardless of how its function is working or whether a malignancy is present.

Iodine deficiency is a common cause in some regions because lack of iodine can stimulate the gland to grow, but the condition being described by goiter is simply the enlargement itself. Hyperthyroidism describes an overactive thyroid and may accompany an enlarged gland but is about hormone production, not the size. Thyroid cancer is a malignant growth and is not what the term goiter means, though a lump from cancer can be felt in the neck.