Hypothyroidism on the rise in Southern India

India is seeing a rise in the cases of hypothyroidism, exposing millions to serious health complications, some being life-threatening. Data shows that thyroid disorders affect an estimated 200 million people worldwide and in some countries almost 50 per cent of people remain undiagnosed. In India too there is a significant burden of people suffering from thyroid disorders – approximately 42 million people and the numbers are estimated to increase.

Despite numerous educational and awareness efforts, awareness about the disease and its diagnosis remains shockingly low, points out Dr Bipin Sethi, Consulting Endocrinologist, Care Hospital. Hypothyroidism is a condition that develops when the thyroid gland is unable to produce enough thyroid hormones. Although it is an easy-to-detect and less expensive to treat disease, patients often remain undetected and untreated which impacts their overall health and well-being.

The biggest cause of worry is that people often do not link their symptoms to thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid disorders are 10 times more common in women however, many of them are unaware that symptoms could be a result of an underlying thyroid disorder. In India, almost one third of hypothyroid patients are unaware of their condition with an additional 8-19 per cent of population found to be at a higher future risk of overt thyroidism.

Says Dr Bipin Sethi, “Thyroid disorders are difficult to spot as their symptoms are not specific or unique, they are diverse and varied since the thyroid gland makes thyroid hormones that help to regulate many different functions in the body. Patients often dismiss these symptoms as a normal part of everyday life and live life without being diagnosed and treated for thyroid disorder. I would urge people to pay heed to such symptoms and consult an endocrinologist immediately to avoid further complications.”

The prevalence of hypothyroidism is on the rise in Southern India. Women in fact are eight times more at risk of developing thyroid disorders than men; weight gain, fatigue, weakness, dry skin, depression, hair loss, high cholesterol, irregular periods and infertility are some of the symptoms associated with the condition.

Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to a number of health problems such as physical and mental health issues, heart problems, goiter, infertility, birth defects, peripheral neuropathy andmyxedema resulting in a poor quality of life. It is therefore critical that people are aware of the symptoms, and if spotted, they should not ignore them.

While the symptoms are varied and should be worked up, the most important and critical areas are the new born and pregnancy screening where the disease may exist without symptoms and treating these can be very gratifying. Pregnant women should routinely screen themselves for thyroid disorders; thyroid hormone is critical for brain development in the baby and if not screened and treated at the right time, the child can have serious mental and physical development issues.

“Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial to live a good quality of life,” says Dr Sethi. “Hypothyroidism can be prevented from becoming a serious health issue. By recognising the symptoms, understanding the risk factors, getting treatment early on and leading a healthy lifestyle will help you prevent the serious complications if the condition is left untreated.Also if the thyroid function tests are normal on testing or normalized after treatment one should not continue to blame the thyroid of all the ailments that exist or creep up,” adds Dr.Sethi.