Final answer:
A large goiter can cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, coughing, and swallowing problems due to the enlargement of the thyroid gland. It can also lead to hypothyroidism with symptoms like weight gain and cold sensitivity, or hyperthyroidism with weight loss and increased heart rate. Iodine supplementation in salt has been effective in preventing goiter formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a goiter becomes very large, it can cause a number of symptoms due to its size and the effect on the body's hormone levels. Goiters are typically associated with iodine deficiency, which can lead to the thyroid gland's inability to produce sufficient amounts of the hormones T3 and T4. To compensate, the body produces more thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), leading to enlargement of the thyroid gland. A very large goiter can cause compressive symptoms such as difficulty breathing, coughing, swallowing problems, and can also affect the voice due to pressure on the windpipe and esophagus.
It's important to note that goiters can be a symptom of various thyroid disorders, including Graves' disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis. The symptoms one might expect goiter to cause include hypothyroidism, which is characterized by weight gain, cold sensitivity, and reduced mental activity, or in some cases, hyperthyroidism with symptoms like weight loss, profuse sweating, and increased heart rate.
Furthermore, adding small amounts of iodine to salt has been an effective prevention strategy against goiter formation in places where iodine deficiency is common and salt consumption is high.