Unfortunately, far too many people subscribe to the notion that a health condition will resolve on its own if they ignore the problem. While that may be true for a minor cold, the vast majority of conditions are best treated if they are actively treated. New research suggests that certain demographic groups are at a heightened risk for ignoring their goiter, and that can have some serious health consequences.
Research out of Thomas Jefferson University suggests that three populations are more likely to let their goiter go untreated to the point that it extends into their chest, making eventual treatment even harder. Those three populations are:
- Men
- Elderly individuals
- Minority ethnic groups
What is Goiter?
As we’ve explained in other blogs, a goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck. In the United States, this often occurs due to an overactive or underactive thyroid gland. This enlargement causes a visible growth in the neck region, so most people who have a goiter know it, which means they are actively ignoring it.
The study at the heart of the research examined the number of patients undergoing a thyroidectomy to resolve goiter formation. The operations were classified as a substernal or non-substernal thyroidectomy, with a substernal thyroidectomy being an operation where the goiter extended past the clavicles and into the upper chest. Researchers found that men, minorities and elderly populations were more likely to undergo a substernal thyroidectomy, meaning they ignored the goiter to the point that became substernal in nature. This can be extremely problematic though, as the risk of hemorrhage or hematoma following a substernal procedure is 77 percent higher than after a non-substernal thyroidectomy. Additionally, the rate of respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism/DVT was 2.2 and 2.6 times higher for patients with substernal goiters. Lastly, these patients were 73 percent more likely to die during hospital admission than non-substernal patients.
Why Are These Groups Avoiding Goiter Treatment?
Researchers tried to explain why these populations may ignore the goiter, even if that means a more risky surgery down the road.
“When we look at minority patients, we have to appreciate the fact that there continues to be a discrepancy in access to medical treatment,” said study lead author Dr. Alliric Willis. He added than in general, men tend to avoid treatment more than women. “[That,] or men will think they have this large Adam’s apple and they’ve either grown a beard to cover it or have stopped looking at it and avoided care until they have significant compression symptoms related to the goiter.”
In the end, patients and doctors need to be better when it comes to goiter care. Doctors should be able to identify these developments and explain to the patient that ignoring the problem only increases health risks down the roads, and patients need to understand that they are only harming themselves by ignoring the problem. Earlier surgery produces much better results, so take care of yourself!
