This site is intended for healthcare professionals

CPD
CPD
Pro
Pro
account_circleSign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Causes of goitre include:

  • physiological:
    • puberty - increased metabolic demand
    • pregnancy - increased demand; increased TBG
    • physiologic stress of any kind

  • autoimmune:
    • Graves' disease
    • Hashimoto's thyroiditis

  • thyroiditis:
    • subacute granulomatous / de Quervain's
    • subacute lymphocytic / silent
    • Riedel's thyroiditis - uncommon; gland usually shrinks
    • acute infective - transient
    • infiltrative e.g. sarcoidosis, tuberculosis

  • iodine deficiency - simple, endemic goitre
  • idiopathic - simple, sporadic goitre
  • multinodular goitre - develops from simple goitre

  • dyshormogenesis - including Pendred's syndrome:
    • inability to use trapped iodine
    • deficiency of peroxidase and dehalogenase
    • abnormal protein binding in the plasma

  • goitrogens
  • thyroid cysts - rare
  • thyroid tumours

Note:

  • a new area of enlargement within a goitre may indicate haemorrhage into a cyst, or a thyroid carcinoma

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.