With 5-10 per cent of India’s adult population carrying some kind of thyroid problems due to inadequate or over-secretion of thyroid hormones from endocrine glands, doctors on the eve of World Thyroid Day said on Wednesday that even thyroid cancer is curable if detected at early stages.
Dr A. Zakir Ali, consultant and head of Nuclear Medicine at Indo-American Cancer Centre, said, “Around 90 per cent of endocrine cancer consists of cancer of thyroid. Early exposure to radiation, family history, and in 5 per cent cases nodules or swelling in the neck region are risk factors for thyroid cancer. An ultrasound scan, FNAC and thyroid test (T3, T4, TSH) are essential for early diagnosis.”
At OGH, which gets at least 500 new cases each month, most patients suffer from hypothyroidism, though cases of thyroid enlargement due to goitre, adenoma, and inflammation and cancer are also prevalent. Dr Jayanthy Ramesh, HoD, Endocrinology, OMC and OGH, said, “With correct medication, periodic check-ups and adjustment of dosage, thyroid disorders can be kept under control. Though women are eight times more prone to develop thyroidism, it’s a misconception that thyroid problems lead to abortions or difficulty in conceiving.”
But it’s advisable, Dr Ramesh said, for thyroid patients to cut down on consumption of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and soyabeans, as also stress, and raise physical activity to avoid obesity.