“An enlarged thyroid gland cannot be equated with a “big neck” disease. Goiter can be caused by a variety of conditions, such as simple goiter, diffuse toxic goiter, subacute granulomatous goitre and chronic lymphocytic goitre. Simple goiter is a compensatory enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by a non-inflammatory or neoplastic cause of the thyroid gland that prevents the synthesis of thyroid hormones.
The disease is not associated with hyper- or hypothyroidism and the thyroid gland is diffusely or multinodularly enlarged. Depending on the prevalence of the disease, it can be divided into two types: endemic goiter and sporadic goiter. The endemic goiter, caused by iodine deficiency, is commonly known as “big neck disease”. As iodised salt becomes more common throughout the country, the incidence of this disease is decreasing.”