Thyroid (part 2)

(From Part 1)

Thyroid like any other hormones is closely regulated and adjusted according te needs of the body at different times and circumstances.

Thyroid hormones are not produced at a constant rate. Their production is regulated by the pituitary gland.

TSH (Thyroid Stimulated Hormone) stimulates the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4 (also calcitonin and other hormones)
As the thyroid hormones rise to a certain level, they signal the pituitary gland to decrease TSH secretion, making a feedback loop, to lower thyroid hormones production.

(sorry for being technical, please refer to the scribbles here, for a better idea)

To make it simpler, like when in primary thyroid problem, when the doctor sees a rise in TSH level, it MAY indicate a hypothyroidism; whereas a drop in TSH level MAY indicate overproduction of thyroid hormones and thus hyperthyroidism. (this is NOT a set rule that can be applied to all cases)

As the normal thyroid level is closely regulated by our own body, any functional treatment (regulating our thyroid hormone level) must be monitored too.
Doctors may ask their patients for blood test every few weeks to make sure of this. Other tests and diagnostics may be carried out to search for other possible causes and te current health status.

Goiter is the enlargement of the thyroid gland.
While the majority of goiter is benign in nature, it can be malignant too.
Goiter doesn't mean hyperthyroid, it can also be possibly hypothyroid or even euthyroid (no changes in thyroid level).

For a thyroid disease, functional status is normally put in the first place. And that is why for a lot of patients with euthyroid goiter (enlarged thyroid gland with no changes in thyroid level) the doctors just asked them to wait and observe.
Does that mean a euthyroid goiter need not to be treated?
Well, unless the goiter causes problems, like compressing the trachea, esophagus, arteries, or in malignant cases etc., we don't actually want to mess with the thyroid that may potentially derange the functional status.

If you have any question or you would like more to be explained, please comment below 😉