Can goitre cause difficulty in breathing?

Q: I am a 47 years old woman suffering from multinodular goitre for the last few months and have been taking Synthroid. I have been having difficulty in breathing presumably due to the goitre pressing against my trachea. Should I get my thyroid removed?

A:If goitre is large enough then this can cause compression on trachea and shortness of breath. To know this one should undergo USG of neck and X-ray of tissue neck. It will be nice to know about the exact size of gland and its function (T4, TSH). Various modalities of treatment are medical, which you are taking surgical and radioiodine treatment. If the size is big then the best will be surgical therapy. You can get back to us with USG neck, soft tissue neck x-ray and T4, TSH reports for further advice.