d.), explains that a goiter denotes the enlargement of the thyroid gland. The majority of individuals with a goiter will not likely realize it, until the goiter grows to a visible or palpable size, as a goiter may develop to enormous size prior to producing symptoms of compression. Frequently, a low iodine supply in the diet contributes to the development of a goiter. In areas of the world where dietary iodine is low, doctors note a larger number of patients with goiters. The thyroid gland implements this defense mechanism to maintain balance with the body's need for thyroid hormones As a goiter may be associated with hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, to rule out the abnormal functioning of the thyroid, the doctor orders blood tests. After these tests, the doctor will determines if the need for imaging studies exists. These would include ultrasound, CT scan, and etc. Most patients with goiter do not require any intervention, however are monitored by periodic neck exams and blood work. When the suspicion of thyroid cancer or compression symptoms materialize, albeit, surgery to remove all or part of the goiter may be necessary. When the removal of entire thyroid becomes necessary, the patient requires lifelong thyroid hormone medication (Hyperthyroidism, N.d., Goiter section). For the patient examined by this paper, further testing would be needed for the determination of whether or not one would expect to find a palpable goiter A Suitable Treatment

The journal article, "Hyperthyroidism" (N.d.), also attributes hypothyroidism to the inability of the thyroid gland to produce an adequate amount of thyroid hormones. "Unlike with Grave's disease, the thyroid cells in hypothyroidism face autoimmune destruction, which means that the body directs its immune response against these thyroid cells and destroys them; Hashimoto's disease is another name for this thyroid-cell-destroying process (Hyperthyroidism, N.d., ¶ 4). Symptoms of hypothyroidism include many of those evidenced by the patient examined in this study; noted in the table at the end of this investigation. After confirming the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, the physician will initiate treatments to replace the thyroid hormone. Generally, treatment proves successful with the administration of one daily dose of oral levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc.). For follow-up, the physician periodically measures the thyroid-stimulating hormone level to guide ongoing treatments (Hyperthyroidism, N.d.).

Table 1 compares the 30-year-old male case patient's symptoms to symptoms of Hypothyroidsm.

Table 1: Comparison of Case Patient's Symptoms...

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