What are Thyroid Disorders and how does it affect Indians?

Thyroid disorders are slowly rising in cases and severity with each passing day among Indian people. It has been able to significantly affect and alter millions upon millions of individuals so far, regardless of the age and gender of the individual. The main purpose of the thyroid gland, located in the neck, is to ensure that many of the body's functions by circulating as well as regulating the metabolism of the body, the overall temperature of the body, the amount of energy that is either spent or exuded from the body, and even affects the mood of a person.

Although it is a rather simple condition to heal and cure, thyroid disorders are still relatively unknown to those who live in very rural areas in the country. It must also be noted that almost all of the time, people who are affected by Thyroid Disorders tend to let it be till the last second, thinking nothing of the symptoms until they experience the aftermath of the disorders. Another very disturbing fact to take note of is how specific Indian states are starting to show much higher cases of thyroid disorders than others, leading many doctors and scientists to speculate that the stress levels and deficiency of iodine present in the body are much more capable of contracting the medical condition than others.

WHAT IS A THYROID DISORDER?

The Thyroid is a rather small gland shaped peculiarly like a butterfly. This small and rather insignificantly sized gland has control of a lot of major body functions, such as how much metabolism is being produced with the body as well as other important bodily functions through the production of 2 very important hormones, T3 and T4.

Thyroid dysfunctions primarily happen through two types, those of which are:-

Hypothyroidism - This occurs whenever the thyroid gland has been unable to produce the appropriate amount of hormones necessary for the body to thrive without any sort of issue. Indians have a much higher chance of receiving Hypothyroidism than Hyperthyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism - The dysfunction would only occur whenever there is an overproduction of hormones within the thyroid gland, which leads to a lot of problems related to hormonal as well as thyroid issues all over the body.

If you prefer to understand thyroid in Hindi, this blog provides complete insights.

WHY ARE THYROID PROBLEMS INCREASING IN INDIA?

The rising cases of thyroid in India can be narrowed down to a bunch of factors such as the way you are living, what you are consuming on a day-to-day basis, and even some rare factors in relation to a patient's genetics. The health related to hormone production and development is affected primarily due to the rise of urban living and the stress it can bring along, lack of proper sleep and continuous consumption of processed foods. The deficiency in Iodine levels found within the bodies are much more common in rural areas. Women are also much more likely to develop a thyroid deficiency and disorder simply due to the severe shift they might experience during large amounts of hormones within their bodies due to pregnancy and menopause.

COMMON CAUSES FOR THE RISE IN THYROID DEFICIENCY LEVELS IN INDIA

• Certain regions within the country are prone to a lot of iodine deficiency.
• Extremely poor eating habits that are present alongside miniscule amounts of micronutrients being consumed daily.
• Women who are suffering from autoimmune diseases and conditions.
• Very little awareness of what to expect whenever an individual is having some symptoms that directly relate to a type of thyroid disorder.
• Large amounts of unwanted stress levels that build up over time.

Weight gain is a common symptom of thyroid dysfunction. Read more about obesity in hindi.

WHAT ARE THE INDIAN STATES THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST THYROID DISORDER RATES?

There are a lot of states capable of having thyroid disorders in them, all of which are carefully scanned, measured, tested and even have a lot of diagnostic lab samples and even the entire regional health statuses through percentage value in order to accurately predict the amount of active cases within a state.

WEST BENGAL

Arguably one of the most consistent states in the country when it comes to the amount of thyroid issues and disorders that occurs within it, the highest cases being situated in Kolkata, Howrah and even Siliguri. Most of these cases are primarily women in their early to mid 40s, suffering from hypothyroidism while being completely oblivious to it.

• High stress in relation to the urban city-life and how fast paced some of it can become can lead to the slowing down of the production of important hormones that are required for the body to properly function.
• Extremely bad choices in relation to the diet and limited amounts of exercise are also very strong contributors to issues in thyroid production.
• There are also lots of rural areas where the non-existent awareness of iodine deficiency in the body.

The amount of fully grown adults who have been diagnosed with thyroid disorders equals to about roughly 15% of the entire West Bengal population. Women who have matured have been found to be the most affected out of them all, simply due to the amount of changes their bodies receive whenever they are pregnant or are going through menstruation.

TAMIL NADU

Tamil Nadu has also seen a rather massive surge in thyroid disorders recently, mostly due to it becoming a major state with urbanisation slowly overcoming it. The main targets have been women between the ages of 30 and 50 years old. Even though it has been established as a state with much better infrastructure and healthcare benefits than most other states in India, it is still not capable of providing some much needed context for the awareness of thyroid dysfunctions and disorders.

• One of the major reasons why Tamil Nadu is a center for thyroid issues is its ability for the over-consumption of specific food items such as cabbage and cauliflower simply due to the both of them being goitrogenic in nature.
• Dependency on salt that has very little amounts of iodine present in them due to the way they were processed continuously and sent out for delivery.
• Test screening done for a longer period of time can potentially lead to a lot more opportunities for getting rid of thyroid dysfunction and making the detection rate even higher than anticipated.

A lot of data accumulated recently has been pointing towards every 1 in 8 people found in Tamil Nadu being confirmed to have any specific type of thyroid dysfunction present in them.

KERALA

Often touted as one of India's most knowledgeable and studious states, Kerala has been able to accumulate a surprising number of cases in terms of thyroid disorders all year long. The individuals who have been shown to be able to be affected the most out of the population will have to be women post-menopause as well as those who have a confirmed history of autoimmune present within their families.

• A lot of experts liken the rise of thyroid disorders to the increasing amounts of cases in relation to the rise of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is another autoimmune disease altogether.
• The addition of a very sedentary lifestyle regardless of whether the amount of health awareness is present or not.
• Very poor amounts of stress management present throughout the lifestyle of the individual as well as particular environmental factors that have a lot of negative effects to the production of thyroid in the body itself.

The entire population of Kerala has been stated to be extremely proactive whenever it comes to health checkups and healthcare centers, which has been able to efficiently help doctors diagnose the patients quicker, but is still unable to properly manage any potential lifelong medication for thyroid disorders.

NEW DELHI/NCR

New Delhi has been showing a very steady rise in terms of thyroid related conditions that were taken from proper medical diagnoses that were taken from over the last decade, most of these were taken from preliminary test screenings and several corporate health checkups throughout the two states. The main risk groups among them are the working class between the men and women as well as most middle-aged males.

• The sheer amount of air pollution that is plaguing the two states are capable of causing a lot of damage to the production of hormones within the thyroid gland as well as the health of the immune system.
• Individuals who are having a very uneven sleeping pattern as well as a rather unhealthy diet plan consisting of a lot of unnecessary food items that your body does not require.
• A lot of stress that was gained through the work life of both extremely high jobs and even the urban living in the city has been known to create a lot of stress.

Due to this, almost every hospital within New Delhi and NCR now contains well-maintained thyroid healthcare packages alongside their main healthcare packages, which can give doctors as well as patients an edge for the precise detection of early types of thyroid disorders and such.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS FOR THYROID DISORDERS?

SOME COMMON HYPOTHYROIDISM SYMPTOMS

• Tiresome and persistent fatigue and restlessness
• Instantaneous weight gainage with little to no explanation.
• Feeling very depressed and having lots of conflicting mood swings throughout the day.
• Experiencing very dry hair and lots of thinning before the expected age where they are supposed to occur naturally.

If you experience fatigue or weakness due to thyroid issues, a CBC Test in hindi may help in diagnosis

SOME COMMON HYPERTHYROIDISM SYMPTOMS

• Feeling of anxiety has a very strong pull around your body.
• Having a lot of palpitations as well as experiencing a very fast and uncontrollable heartbeat.
• Having a lot of intolerance towards any warm object or the heat around you.
• Requiring to go to the bathroom at any given time during the day for a consistent amount of time.

Since inflammation is sometimes linked to thyroid problems, a CRP Test in hindi can help detect it.

WHAT ARE SOME TESTS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR THYROID DISORDERS

Thyroid disorders and dysfunctions can be dangerous at times, but it can all be reduced through a bunch of very simple blood tests that should be taken as soon as possible to minimize the damage done to the gland itself.

• The TSH or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone test is a very important one that can be utilized at the correct time before the situation becomes a very serious one.
• Insertion of more T3 and T4 hormones within the blood stream for when a person is suffering from hypothyroidism.
• Lastly, a rather important blood test is the Anti-TP0 blood test, which inserts antibodies to combat autoimmune thyroiditis.

TIPS FOR MANAGING AND PREVENTING THYROID DISORDERS

• It is much more preferable to use any type of ionized salt as opposed to traditional salt.
• Always keep in mind to prevent any type of soy, cabbage and cauliflower from being consumed in their raw, uncooked forms, to prevent any rise in chance for hyperthyroidism.
• Include any type of food that is rich in selenium, such as eggs, nuts and other similar food items.
• Ensure to get tested for any type of thyroid disorder once a year after the age of 30.

If you have thyroid symptoms, it’s wise to monitor your liver enzymes through SGOT/SGPT testing.

CONCLUSION

With the ever-increasing issues with thyroids rising in India each day, the seriousness of the issue only worsens if there are individuals who are suffering rom many thyroid problems but are either unable to do anything about it or they are simply uninformed about the issue itself. This is where proper awareness is required for any chances to be made in the country. With the proper medical knowledge about the symptoms, the environment itself and even the lifestyle factors that occur on the daily, individuals and especially women of all ages will be able to correctly deduce the symptoms properly and consult a medical professional of the same, and the earlier it is done, the quicker the process will be for both the patients as well as the doctor.

Medical Disclaimer - The information that has been written is only to be used for educational purposes. There has been no information presented by this website, be it tests, images and graphics, which should be taken as professional medical advice. Always consult with your own doctor regarding any medical advice that may relate to your condition.