What does a full thyroid mean

Many people will hear the doctor say the term "full thyroid" when undergoing thyroid examination. So, what does an enlarged thyroid mean? In fact, many friends don’t know. In fact, a full thyroid gland mainly means that the thyroid gland is normal and there is no disease or need for special treatment. Now let us give you a detailed introduction to the meaning of a full thyroid gland!

If the thyroid gland is simply full in shape and the thyroid function results are normal, then no special treatment is needed. It may be a mild thyroid enlargement or adolescent goiter. You can eat more iodine-containing foods. It is recommended that you have another thyroid function test. If there is no abnormality, then there is no obvious problem and you can eat more iodine-containing foods in your daily life.

Thyroid enlargement is a medical examination term, which means that when the doctor examines the neck with his hands, he feels that the thyroid gland is slightly enlarged. According to the degree of thyroid enlargement, if the swelling cannot be seen but can be felt, it is mostly grade I (mild) enlargement. The causes of thyroid enlargement may include simple goiter, hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, nodular goiter, thyroid tumor, etc. Therefore, if a thyroid enlargement is found, relevant examinations should be done, such as thyroid B-ultrasound, thyroid function tests, etc., to further determine the cause of the thyroid enlargement, and then actively treat the cause. As for dietary precautions, they should be determined based on the specific cause of the disease. For example, simple goiter is mainly caused by iodine deficiency, so iodine supplementation is needed in the diet. On the contrary, people with hyperthyroidism should not eat high-iodine foods.

The thyroid gland (Latin: Glandula thyr(e)oidea; English: Thyroid) is a very important gland in vertebrates and an endocrine organ. In mammals it is located below the thyroid cartilage in the neck, on both sides of the trachea. The human thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and is like a shield, hence the name. The thyroid gland controls how quickly energy is used, makes proteins, and regulates the body's sensitivity to other hormones. The thyroid gland regulates these responses by producing thyroxine, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine, also known as tetraiodothyronine (T4). Both regulate metabolism, growth rate, and regulate other body systems. T3 and T4 are synthesized from iodine and tyrosine. The thyroid gland also produces calcitonin, which regulates calcium balance in the body.

Normally most people do not know where the thyroid gland is located, but most people are familiar with "thick neck disease". In fact, "thick neck disease" is an enlarged thyroid gland, which tells us that the thyroid gland is located in the neck. To be more specific, we can feel what we usually call the "Adam's apple" ourselves. The thyroid gland is located about 2 to 3 centimeters below the "Adam's apple" and can move up and down with it when we swallow.

The thyroid gland is shaped like an "H", brown-red in color, and consists of two lobes, left and right, connected by an isthmus in the middle. The two side lobes are attached to the outer sides of the lower larynx and the upper trachea, reaching the middle part of the thyroid cartilage and the sixth tracheal cartilage. The isthmus is mostly located in front of the second to fourth tracheal cartilages and is underdeveloped in some people. Sometimes a cone-shaped lobe extends upward from the isthmus. It varies in length, with the longer one reaching the hyoid bone. It is a relic of embryonic development and often gradually degenerates with age, so it is more common in children than in adults.

The thyroid gland is covered with a fibrous capsule, called the thyroid capsule. This capsule extends into the glandular tissue and divides the gland into lobules of varying sizes. The capsule is covered with the deep cervical fascia (pretracheal layer). There is often ligament-like connective tissue connecting the lateral lobes of the thyroid gland and the cricoid cartilage. Therefore, when swallowing, the thyroid gland can move up and down with swallowing.