The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It is ‘Think Thyroid month’

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Friday, Jan 18, 2008
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Karnataka - Bangalore

It is ‘Think Thyroid month’

Deepa Kurup

ITS has identified thyroid-related disorders as the ‘next diabetes’

Around 4.2 crore Indians suffer from diseases related to thyroid gland
It can cause reproductive disorders in women

Bangalore: Indian Thyroid Society (ITS) has identified thyroid-related disorders as the “next diabetes” and declared January 2008 as “Think Thyroid month” in an attempt to increase public awareness by organising country-wide detection camps in over 50 towns and cities, aiming at educating general practitioners and the medical fraternity about the disease.

This is a result of a study conducted by ITS, an association of endocrinologists, surgeons and nuclear physicians, surveying 93 Indian endocrinologists across the country, studying trends in thyroid-related disorders and prevalent treatment practices in the country.

Around 4.2 crore Indians suffer from diseases related to the thyroid gland.

The study results, published in the Journal of Thyroid Research and Practice, are being used to formulate a consensus and draw an action plan to tackle this issue. “We are planning to tie-up with Abbot Pharmacy and collaborate with laboratory services to provide subsidised tests. Diagnosis and measurement of TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is easy now with technology,” said Jayakumar R.V., president of ITS, who conducted this study along with Unnikrishnan A.G, editor of the Journal of Thyroid Research and Practice.

“Thyroid-related disorder is the next diabetes and though it is easy to treat, it should not be taken lightly. It can cause reproductive disorders in women and also hamper the mental and physical growth of children,” said Dr. Jayakumar.

Controversy

There is a controversy in the medical fraternity about whether sub-clinical hypothyroidism should be treated, with most doctors treating it only if there is an associated disorder or during pregnancy where it becomes critical, the study revealed.

Thyroxin pills are the most popular treatment for hypothyroidism; levothyroxin being the drug which is administered.

Dosage

“Doctors feel that precise dosages of this drug will help control the condition better. There is a lack of general awareness and also several grey areas in the diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Unnikrishnan. Statistics compiled by ITS find that hypothyroidism is the most prevalent disorder affecting one in every eight women, women being five to eight times more susceptible to the disease.

While a blood test can help detect Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, self-examination will reveal the presence of an enlarged thyroid gland.

ITS recommends routine TSH testing for women aged over 35, men over 60 and anybody with a family history of thyroid disorder or autoimmune diseases like type-1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism, which constitutes 88 per cent of all thyroid disorders, has symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, intolerance to cold, sleepiness, depression, enlarged thyroid (goitre), dry, coarse skin and hair, hoarse voice, forgetfulness and constipation.

Serious health consequences such as elevated cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, depression, even coma and/or death can result if a thyroid disorder is untreated for long.

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