Goiter can be revealed either by the appearance of a swelling at the base of the neck, painful lump or not, rapid or progressive, or by manifestations of a malfunction of the thyroid. The attention may be drawn by an impasto at the base of the neck, noticed by the person or discovered by the doctor during an examination with a palpation of the base of the neck.

It is rare nowadays and in our countries that the goiter reaches such a volume that it causes feeding difficulties, breathing difficulties to voice changes. But this could happen in the past when people with the disease did not seek prompt treatment.

In some cases, palpation of a goiter can lead to pain on palpation.

When associated with a hyperthyroidism (excessive production of thyroid hormones), it can cause weight loss, tachycardia (acceleration of the heart rate), tremors, anxiety or nervousness, excessive sweating, feeling of always being too hot, diarrhea …

Conversely, when there is a hypothyroidism (lack of thyroid hormones), the face may be swollen, with weight gain, chilliness, intellectual slowing down or even depression, fatigue, constipation, slowing of the pulse …