Thyroid diseases are one of the most common endocrine illnesses in the United States, affecting at least one out of every ten people. Thyroid disorders affect one out of every eight women at some point in their lives. Thyroid diseases impact about 42 million Indians. The World Thyroid Day, which takes place on May 25, aims to raise awareness about thyroid illnesses, as well as their prevention and treatment.
Thyroid hormones are important for growth, brain development, reproduction, and energy metabolism regulation. As a result, thyroid hormone imbalances have a substantial impact on a person's health and quality of life. People of all ages are affected by thyroid diseases.
Thyroid disease affects up to 50% of people, and women are five to eight times more likely than men to have difficulties with their thyroid.
Thyroid issues can disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle and impair her fertility. Thyroid disorders can be harmful to both the mother and the foetus during pregnancy. To ensure appropriate thyroid hormone synthesis during pregnancy, the WHO recommends consuming 250 milligrammes of iodine every day. Cheese, cow's milk, eggs, yoghurt, saltwater fish, seaweed, and soy milk are all good sources of dietary iodine.
According to a study conducted in 2010 in the Nellore region of Andhra Pradesh, the prevalence of TPOAb (a thyroid antibody) is high in adults, particularly in women aged 26 to 50. TPOAb generally appears before thyroid insufficiency develops. Thyroid dysfunction was discovered in 43.7 percent of females in a hospital-based retrospective study on Spectrum of Thyroid Dysfunction in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh based on medical records from January 2013 to December 2015.
More research on the state of thyroid illnesses in AP, according to Dr Bobba Rakesh, Consultant Endocrinologist, Ramesh Hospital, Vijayawada. Iodine deficiency, he added, can cause physical and mental impairment, as well as cretinism, endemic goitre, hypothyroidism, and infertility in women.
Thyroid hormone is important for a baby's brain development, according to Dr. Rakesh, so a woman's thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) should be checked as soon as pregnancy is established.
