Diet for thyroid nodules calcification

Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
Updated on December 13, 2024
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Patients with calcified thyroid nodules need to be cautious about their diet. Firstly, they should avoid irritating foods such as chili peppers, ginger, garlic, strong tea, coffee, and alcohol. Secondly, they should not consume foods high in fiber as these can cause diarrhea. Instead, they should eat foods rich in carbohydrates and fats, which provide energy and reduce the consumption of proteins in the body, as proteins play an important role in physiological regulation. Additionally, these patients should consume foods rich in vitamins and minerals to aid physiological metabolism. Lastly, it is beneficial for patients with calcified thyroid nodules to include animal organs in their diet.

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Written by Hu Jian Zhuo
Nephrology and Endocrinology
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Effects after thyroid nodule removal

Thyroid surgery often leads to postoperative bleeding as a common complication. Bleeding may compress the trachea, causing difficulty in breathing. If a patient exhibits severe breathing difficulties along with significant bleeding from the drainage tube post-surgery, emergency hemostasis should be performed. Secondly, tracheomalacia. Long-term compression from the mass softens the tracheal wall, leading to a collapse due to inadequate support from surrounding tissues. Thus, after removing thyroid nodules, the thyroid and adjacent tissues fail to support the softened trachea, resulting in breathing difficulties. Thirdly, pharyngeal edema. During surgery, inflammatory stimulation can cause edema in the surrounding tissues, which may lead to difficulty in breathing. Therefore, after ruling out possibilities of postoperative bleeding, tracheomalacia, or vocal cord paralysis, pharyngeal edema should be considered. Nebulization therapy can be administered. Fourthly, vocal cord paralysis is common due to accidental damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgery, causing hoarseness. Generally, patients may gradually recover over three to six months, and symptoms can improve. The fifth effect is damage to the parathyroid glands. If the parathyroid glands are damaged, it may lead to abnormal blood calcium levels and symptoms of hypocalcemia, such as tetany and spasms. Most cases are due to vascular damage to the parathyroid glands resulting in temporary hypofunction, which often recovers shortly. The sixth possible outcome is a thyroid storm. Some patients with hyperthyroidism may experience a sudden release of large amounts of thyroid hormone into the bloodstream post-surgery, causing high fever, irregular heart rate, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, coma, and even death. The seventh effect is that removal of the thyroid gland leads to a deficiency in thyroid hormones, resulting in symptoms of hypothyroidism.

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Written by Hu Jian Zhuo
Nephrology and Endocrinology
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How to treat thyroid nodules?

Clinically, if a thyroid nodule is confirmed to be a benign tumor, generally speaking, if thyroid function is normal and the nodule is not large, urgent treatment is not necessary, and regular follow-up is sufficient. If the thyroid nodule significantly enlarges, causing compression of the trachea or nerves, surgery should be considered. Furthermore, for ectopic growth of thyroid tissue behind the sternum, surgical removal is also considered necessary. Another scenario that requires special mention is if a thyroid nodule grows rapidly in a short period and ultrasound suggests calcification or bleeding within the cyst, thyroid cancer should be suspected. In this case, it's advisable to have the nodule surgically removed.

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Written by Hu Jian Zhuo
Nephrology and Endocrinology
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Should thyroid nodules be punctured?

Thyroid fine needle aspiration is a reliable and highly valuable diagnostic method we use to distinguish between benign and malignant thyroid nodules. Generally, thyroid nodules with a diameter >1 cm are considered for fine needle aspiration. Fine needle aspiration is not routinely considered in the following situations: (1) The nodule has already been evaluated with a nuclear scan indicating a hyperfunctioning adenoma due to hyperthyroidism; (2) The nodule is purely cystic; (3) The nodule is highly suspected to be highly malignant. In cases where the nodules grow rapidly and significantly enlarge, causing compression of the surrounding trachea and symptoms such as breathing difficulties and hoarseness, these thyroid nodules requiring surgery do not necessitate further fine needle aspiration treatment.

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Written by Zhang Jun Jun
Endocrinology
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"Malignant thyroid nodules" means what?

Thyroid nodules are assessed under ultrasound with a grading system, and if rated at level three or higher, they tend to be more likely to be malignant. The most common malignancy in thyroid nodules is thyroid cancer. Among all types of tumors, thyroid cancer tends to grow slowly and is relatively less malignant. Therefore, if an ultrasound suggests a high likelihood of malignancy in a thyroid nodule, further examinations should be conducted. This can include a fine needle aspiration biopsy, thyroid contrast-enhanced ultrasound, or even direct surgical removal of the malignant nodule for further pathological examination to determine whether it is benign or malignant. Since the degree of malignancy of thyroid nodules is relatively low compared to other malignant tumors, a high grading score on a thyroid nodule should not be overly worrying. It is advisable to proceed with formal medical checks and regular follow-ups, as the five-year survival rate is quite high, exceeding 80%.

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Written by Hu Jian Zhuo
Nephrology and Endocrinology
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Do thyroid nodules affect pregnancy?

This decision should be based on the nature of the thyroid nodules. If the thyroid nodule is benign, pregnancy generally will not be affected, and it is possible to conceive. However, if the patient has malignant thyroid nodules, I would advise against rushing into pregnancy. Firstly, prioritize treating the malignant thyroid nodules promptly. If you become pregnant during this time, the risks associated with surgery and medications for both the pregnant mother and the fetus are very high. Nevertheless, after receiving timely and standardized treatment and once the patient's condition has stabilized, it is possible to conceive. However, it should be noted that surgery may lead to reduced thyroid function. In the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus relies on the mother for thyroid hormone supply. If the mother's thyroid hormone levels are too low, it can lead to delayed fetal development, and even abnormal brain development, resulting in a baby born with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, women with a history of thyroid disease should develop a treatment plan under the joint collaboration of an endocrinologist and an obstetrician-gynecologist.