The child with a neck swelling
Kayleigh is a 13-year-old girl who has recently noticed a neck swelling. Please examine her.
What are the causes of a goitre?
- Autoimmune thyroiditis
- Grave’s disease
- Simple goitre – normal TFTs and no antibodies in peripubertal girls
- Hyperplasia
- Diffuse nodular non-toxic goitre
- Subacute thyroiditis (inflamed gland)
- Carcinoma
- Infiltration (Langerhan cell histiocytosis)
Euthyroid causes of goitre
- Commonest causes world wide – dietary iodine deficiency as compensatory hypertrophy
- In exam - autoimmune thyroiditis (thyroid antibodies)
Multinodular goitre is rare and you would need to exclude malignancy
Spotted an error or have a suggestion for this case?
Let us know