What is the normal size of the thyroid gland? What are the dangers of enlarged thyroid nodules?

Many people know about the thyroid gland, but many people do not know what the normal size of the thyroid gland is. Many people also do not know what harm the enlarged thyroid nodules will cause. Let's take a look at what is going on with the editor!

Normal thyroid size

The normal size of an adult's thyroid gland is: (2.5-4.0)CM*(1.5-2.5)CM*(1.0-1.5)CM.

The size and quality of the thyroid gland change with age and physiological changes. During adolescence and pregnancy, the thyroid gland may swell physiologically. Due to the needs of growth and development, the body requires a large amount of thyroid hormone, and relative iodine deficiency leads to thyroid hyperplasia. Even so, an appropriate amount of iodine supplementation is sufficient. The thyroid gland stops developing after adulthood and becomes relatively atrophic after old age.

The dangers of enlarged thyroid nodules

Causes cardiovascular disease

Because there are more T3 receptors on myocardial cells, the cardiovascular system reacts strongly to excessive thyroid hormone, which increases the oxygen consumption of the heart and increases the burden on the heart. Long-term action of thyroid hormone on the heart can easily lead to heart hypertrophy, atrial fibrillation, arrhythmia and even heart failure and death.

Causes liver disease

The reasons why thyroid gland causes liver damage are: increased oxygen consumption during thyroid gland activity leads to relative oxygen shortage in the liver, significant increase in catabolism during thyroid gland activity, resulting in increased liver glycogen depletion, excessive consumption of various nutrients such as amino acids and vitamins, and heart failure in patients with thyroid gland activity leading to hepatic venous congestion and central lobular necrosis, complicated by infection and shock.

Causes renal tubular acidosis

Toxic diffuse thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease. The site of autoimmune lesions is not limited to the thyroid gland, but also occurs in the renal tubules. The lesions in the renal tubules lead to dysfunction of the renal tubules in acidifying urine, that is, acidic substances cannot be secreted by the renal tubules and excreted in urine, so they accumulate in the blood and cause acidosis.