Roswell Park provides the same expert care for benign tumors or non-cancerous thyroid or parathyroid conditions, such as hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, goiter and thyroid nodules. It’s important to seek specialized expert care for these conditions because they may also increase your risk developing thyroid cancer.

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What is hyperthyroidism?

Hyperthyroidism develops when your thyroid gland becomes overactive and produces too much thyroid hormone. Graves’ disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism.

Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include:

  • unexpected weight loss
  • rapid or irregular heartbeat
  • sweating
  • bulging eyes
  • irritability

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism develops when your thyroid is underactive and does not produce enough thyroid hormone. This causes your immune system to make antibodies that damage the thyroid and interfere with its ability to release thyroid hormone. Hashimoto’s disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

  • Fatigue.
  • Numbness and tingling in your hands.
  • Weight gain.
  • Dry, coarse skin and hair.
  • Constipation.
  • Depression.
  • Frequent, heavy menstrual periods.

What is a goiter?

A goiter is an enlargement of your thyroid gland that can be barely noticeable or grow quite large. Goiters affect about 5% of people in the United States, and may develop alone or be made up of smaller thyroid nodules that can be benign or cancer.

Several factors can cause your thyroid to enlarge, including certain medications, not having enough iodine in your diet, thyroid cancer, pregnancy and thyroiditis (an inflammation of the thyroid gland itself). However, a goiter is typically associated with too much or too little amounts of thyroid hormone in your body.

Signs and symptoms of having a goiter may include:

  • Difficulty swallowing.
  • Difficulty breathing with exertion.
  • Cough.
  • Hoarseness.
  • Snoring.

What are thyroid nodules?

While a goiter is an enlargement of the whole gland, a thyroid nodule is a lump that develops inside your thyroid gland.

Thyroid nodules can be solid or filled with fluid, and usually won’t cause symptoms. But if you can see or feel a lump and it becomes hard to breathe or swallow, it is important to take steps to find out whether the nodules could be cancer.

It can be difficult to tell the difference between benign and cancerous thyroid nodules. That’s why it’s important to have your case reviewed by pathologists who have experience in diagnosing thyroid cancer. While surgery to remove the nodule is an option, a new minimally invasive approach called radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can shrink the nodule in a brief outpatient procedure.

RFA for thyroid nodules

What is hyperparathyroidism?

The parathyroid glands are four tiny glands that sits behind your thyroid gland in your neck. Hyperparathyroidism is a condition that happens when one or more of your four parathyroid glands become overactive and produce too much parathyroid hormone (PTH).

PTH helps control the level of calcium in your blood. When your parathyroid glands produce too much PTH, it causes your blood calcium level to rise, and the condition called hypercalcemia. The symptoms are hypercalcemia typically non-specific, but can be associated with a variety of health problems, including:

  • Bone loss and fractures
  • Kidney stones
  • Fogginess of mind
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Depression
  • Constipation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Increased thirst and urination
  • Heart rhythm problems
  • High blood pressure

There are three main types of hyperparathyroidism:

  • Primary hyperparathyroidism is the most common type, and occurs when there is a problem with the parathyroid glands themselves. This condition is characterized by high PTH and high calcium levels. In most cases, this is caused by a benign tumor (adenoma) on one of the glands.
  • Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurs in response to low body calcium levels caused by conditions such as kidney disease or vitamin D deficiency. In response to low calcium levels, parathyroid glands try to compensate, causing the body to produce too much PTH.
  • Tertiary hyperparathyroidism is a rare type of hyperparathyroidism that develops in people who have had secondary hyperparathyroidism for a long time. The overactive parathyroid glands, despite a corrected source of the initial problem, continue producing excessive parathyroid hormone (PTH).

Treatment for hyperparathyroidism depends on the severity of the condition and the underlying cause. In most cases, surgery to remove the affected parathyroid gland is the most effective treatment.