What are the causes of thyroid nodules?

Thyroid nodules are a common thyroid disease. Some people may accidentally find a lump on their neck in their daily life. It feels hard to the touch. Most of them are manifestations of thyroid nodules. Many people don’t understand why they suddenly get this disease. What are the causes of thyroid nodules?

Causes of thyroid nodules

1. Hyperplastic nodular thyroid

Excessive or insufficient iodine intake, consumption of goitrogenic substances, use of goitrogenic drugs, or thyroid hormone synthase deficiency, etc.

2. Tumorous nodules

Benign thyroid tumors, thyroid papilloma, thyroid follicular cell carcinoma, thyroid medullary carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, lymphoma and other thyroid follicular cell and non-follicular cell malignant tumors and metastatic cancer.

3. Cyst

Nodular thyroid gland, degenerative changes of adenoma and old hemorrhagic macules, cystic changes of thyroid carcinoma, congenital thyrohyoid cyst and cysts caused by remnants of the fourth gill cleft.

4. Radioactive Exposure

A history of radiation exposure is an important risk factor for thyroid cancer. Individuals who received radiation doses of 10 to 1000 rad during childhood have a higher incidence of thyroid cancer.

5. Autoimmunity

Patients with autoimmune thyroiditis are also prone to thyroid nodules.

6. Genetic predisposition

Familial medullary carcinoma has a typical genetic tendency, and about 7% of patients with papillary thyroid cancer may have a familial genetic tendency. In addition, there is currently no evidence that other thyroid cancers are hereditary.

7. Excessive iodine intake

Severe iodine deficiency can cause endemic goiter, but excessive iodine intake can also cause a variety of thyroid diseases, such as abnormal thyroid function and thyroid nodules.

8. Inflammatory nodules

Acute purulent thyroiditis, subacute purulent thyroiditis, and chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis can all present as nodules. In rare cases, thyroid nodules are caused by tuberculosis or syphilis.