Lara, goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid.

Hashimoto Thyroditis (aka: autoimmune thyroiditis) is a very common disorder where your immune system is attacking and destroying your thyroid. The cause is believed to be due to the development of antibodies against the thyroid gland, and as the thyroid begins to function poorly it gets progressively larger in order to try and maintain normal thyroid hormone levels in the bloodstream. Hashimoto's disease is the most common cause of hypothyroidism, accounting for more than 90 percent of all cases.

The fact that your grandmother had a goiter is probably a sign that this does indeed run in your family! When discovering I was hypothyroid, I found out my dad's family had lots of thyroid trouble, my younger brother was hypothyroid, and shortly after I found out, one of my sisters found out she was, too!

So there you go....!

Have a good day, Lara!

Shirley
Florida