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“Think Thyroid” this month

NEW DELHI: The Indian Thyroid Society has declared January as “Think Thyroid Month” and aims to conduct over 70,000 thyroid tests during the month.

Over 4.2 crore Indians suffer from thyroid disorders and it has been identified as the “next diabetes”. Thyroid disorders are among the most common and yet most under-diagnosed of all disorders.

Says Indian Thyroid Society chairman R. V. Jayakumar: “Many doctors simply don’t communicate with their patients about thyroid risks, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. We don’t know if the problem is lack of knowledge on the part of doctors but the bottom line is that millions of people have thyroid conditions and are not getting properly diagnosed and treated.”

The Society has advocated consulting one’s physician about a simple blood test called the thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH test. At home, one can perform an easy self-examination called the thyroid self-test to detect an enlarged thyroid gland. Step-by-step instructions on how to do the thyroid self-test and further information on thyroid are available at www.thyroidindia.com or www.indianthyroidsociety.com . The Society recommends routine TSH testing for women over age 35 and men over the age of 60.

The most common symptoms of hypothyroidism, which constitutes 88 per cent of all thyroid disorders, are 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 or death can result if a thyroid disorder is left untreated for long.

Thyroid and the conditions it causes can be easily managed with early detection and a little care.

But most patients are not even aware of the problems the thyroid can cause. Hence the “Think Thyroid Month” to draw attention to this crucial gland.

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