Seafood is a rich source of iodine

June 11: Doctors have found iodine deficiency to be a major cause behind increasing incidence of hypothyroidism among citizens.

While hypothyroidism is prevalent among both men and women, it is more common among the latter. In fact, two out of every 10 women in the city suffer from this condition.

While iodine is an essential component in daily diet and easily available in common salt, most people do not take salt in adequate quantities for fear of problems like high blood pressure. As such, they tend to suffer from iodine deficiency, which leads to hypothyroidism.

“Iodine deficiency for a long time can take serious toll on one’s health causing numerous complications, among which hypothyroidism is a major one. Iodine helps the thyroid gland to secrete thyroid hormone,” said Dr Subash Khanna, a minimally-invasive surgeon.

“In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is unable to produce sufficient amount of the hormone. With chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes on the rise, people usually avoid taking iodised salt as excessive intake of salt increases blood pressure levels. But excluding salt from daily diet can result in iodine deficiency in people of all age groups,” he added.

Geographical location also has a bearing on the levels of iodine found in food items. Geographically, the region is situated away from the sea and, hence, is deficient in food items rich in iodine. Seafood is a good source of iodine but it is not easily available here, the doctor said.

“Formation of goitre is one of the first symptoms of hypothyroidism. In fact, goitre is endemic in many areas. Moreover, hypothyroidism along with goitre is more common among women because the female body requires more iodine than the male. In fact, many teenage girls suffer from puberty goitre during the start of their menstruation cycle. At this critical time, a girl’s body requires sufficient iodine for enabling the thyroid gland to produce different hormones. When the body does not get the right amount of iodine through the daily diet, it leads to the formation of goitre,” he added.

“Once a person is detected with hypothyroidism, they have to continue their medication all their life to enable the thyroid gland to produce sufficient hormones. However, the goitre has to be removed through surgery,” he said.

Apart from this, iodine deficiency in children can result in stunted growth and in severe cases, even mental retardation. It can increase chances of miscarriage in pregnant women.