India is witnessing an exponential increase in hypothyroidism cases, exposing millions to serious health complications. Data shows that thyroid disorders affect an estimated 200 million people worldwide and 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. Vikrant B. Ghatnatti, Consultant Endocrinologist at KLES Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Endocrine Centre.
Hypothyroidism 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, many of them are unaware that symptoms could be a result of an underlying thyroid disorder. In India, almost 1/3rd of hypothyroid patients are unaware of their condition with an additional 8-19% of the population is at a higher future risk of overt hypothyroidism.
Says Dr. Vikrant Ghatnatti, “The prevalence of hypothyroidism is high in southern India, we are also increasingly seeing cases of subclinical hypothyroidism in patients in whom thyroid functions just below normal level.
Dr. Vikrant Ghatnatti further adds that, “Women are 8 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, however, they are often confused for other serious health conditions which makes thyroid one of the most under-diagnosed and neglected chronic health conditions.”
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 and myxedema 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 and immediately consult an endocrinologist.
Moreover, say Dr. Vikrant Ghatnatti pregnant women should routinely screen themselves for thyroid disorder as it is critical for brain development in the baby.
Early diagnosis and treatment are critical for better disease management and living a good quality of life. adds Dr. Vikrant Ghatnatti
