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At least 5% Mumbaikars suffer from thyroid disorders: Doctors
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: Every year, over 6,000 new patients with a malfunctioning thyroid gland
gingerly troop into the Radiation Medicine Centre, housed as it is in the
imposing-sounding cancer-speciality Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel.
Compared to cancer, thyroid is a benign—if at times a lifelong—condition.
But thyroid can disrupt lives—with lack of concentration, weight gain or
lossdepression, hairfall and nervousness. Given the environmental
triggers—lack of iodine in diet or day-to-day stress—the incidence of
thyroid malfunction seems to be growing in a city like Mumbai.
“Each of the doctors on duty here sees eight to nine cases every day,’’
says RMC chief Dr N Nair, adding that the RMC has the “largest file on thyroid
in the world’’.
In Mumbai, Dr R D Lele of Jaslok Hospital believes at least 5% of Mumbaikars —
that is, roughly around six lakh people—suffer from some form of thyroid
disorder. “There are twice as many thyroid cases as diabetes, but it is among
the least detected as people don’t always rush to their doctors with it,’’
says endocrinologist Dr Shashank Joshi, adding that over 60 million Indians
suffer from some form of thyroid malfunction.
Thyroid produces T4 hormone that many experts believe is the body’s “mobile
charger’’. Any imbalance here could result in iodine deficiency, goitre
(swelling of glands), hypothyroidism (when the gland stops working altogether)
and hyperthyroidism (when it overworks).
While women are the worst sufferers, men are not immune to thyroid imbalances,
says Dr Sushil Shah, who gets a minimum of 200 blood samples for detection of
thyroid imbalance every day at his Metropolis chain of laboratories. In fact,
soccer star Baichung Bhutia has been diagnosed with an overfunctioning thyroid
gland (hyperthyriodism, as his Kolkata doctors have said). A few years ago,
former US president George Bush Sr was diagnosed with Graves Disease a form of
thyroid imbalance in which the eyes bulge out.
The ratio between men and women patients is 1:8, say experts. Even Graves
Disease is more common among women than men. And men tend to suffer more from
hyperthyroidism than hypothyroidism.
Genes also play a role here, say experts. “If a family member has a thyroid
problem, there is a 10% chance a boy and a 20% chance a girl from the family
will have a similar problem,’’ says Dr Joshi.Moreover, doctors believe that
environmental factors such as iodine deficiency in the diet and increasing
levels of stress in urban life are leading to more detection of cases. Stress
could affect the absorption of iodine by the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland or
trigger the auto-immuno system in which antibodies affect the thyroid instead of
affecting invading bacteria, says a doctor.
India’s thyroid problem has a paradoxical edge. While thyroid problems such as
hypo and hyperthyroidism go undetected in rural centers, it is often overtreated
in urban centres. “Every week I get 20 patients who have thyroiditis (enlarged
thyroid) which is best left untreated as it is self-limiting,’’ says Dr Lele,
adding that many doctors give medicines for the condition.
Even in young girls nearing puberty the thyroid gland swells up. “There are
doctors who believe in treating this even though it gets normal within a short
time,’’ says Dr Nair.
He believes that there is a lot of hype and confusion over thyroid. “But the
main thing to remember is that it’s simple to investigate, detect and treat
with medicines, radioactive iodine or surgery.’’
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