Goitre (struma)

Rogier van der Weyden
1399, Tournai – 18 June 1464, Brussels, Belgium

♦ The Virgin and Child (Virgin duran), 1435-1440 ♦

A lively child is sitting on his mother’s lap, crumpling the pages of the book she is reading.

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: General enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Additional symptoms: Female
Clinical diagnosis: Goitre.

♦ Definition: Goitre (struma)
The term refers to an enlargement of the thyroid gland and does not imply any change in function or any particular alteration in the tissue.

♦ Discussion
Goitres occur only rarely, although they are more common in certain parts of the world. In such cases, the condition is referred to as endemic goitre. Generally speaking, this occurs in regions that are far from the sea and where there is therefore a shortage of iodine.
This is the case in the mountainous regions of the Alps, the Himalayas and in some central states of North America.

A goitre can put pressure on the windpipe, leading to breathing difficulties, or on the oesophagus, causing difficulty swallowing and, in some cases, hoarseness.
A goitre can also drop down behind the breastbone and exert pressure there. This is known as a ‘submerged goitre’.

Source: Jan Dequeker – The artist and the doctor look at paintings.

Goitre (struma)

References