The most common cause of diffuse, toxic goiter, is Graves disease. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the United States and affects 1 in 200 people. It usually affects people between 30 and 50 years of age, but can occur in any age group.

What is a diffuse goiter?

diffuse goitre – where the entire thyroid gland swells and feels smooth to the touch. nodular goitre – where solid or fluid-filled lumps called nodules develop within the thyroid and make the thyroid gland feel lumpy to touch; the nodules can be single or multiple and may contain fluid.

What does diffusely enlarged thyroid mean?

A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid, the H-shaped gland that wraps around the front of your windpipe, just below your Adam’s apple. A goiter can be smooth and uniformly enlarged, called diffuse goiter, or it can be caused by one or more nodules within the gland, called nodular goiter.