Awareness keeps thyroid healthy

Sub-clinical thyroid disease is more common than overt disease. Screening is important to identify and treat patients at risk of thyroid dysfunction.

Thyroid affects each and every organ and functions of the body and maintains the metabolic balance. Anyone over 35 years should be screened for thyroid disease every five years. One with family history should be screened once in every two years and should get themselves examined by a physician once in a year.

Keep your thyroid healthy

• Awareness: Know the risk factors, signs & symptoms and common screening tests for thyroid disorders (hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism)

• Self monitoring involves checking your neck by standing in front of a mirror, stretching the back of neck, swallowing water, looking for any bulge, protrusion or enlargement in neck (below Adam's apple, above the collar bone), feeling the area to confirm enlargement or bump

Regular physical examinations and screening:

Sub-clinical thyroid disease is much more common than overt disease. Keeping in mind the prevalence of thyroid disease in India, screening is important to identify and treat patients at risk of thyroid dysfunction.
Anyone with the following risk factors needs to undergo once a year screening by a physician followed by basic diagnostic tests:

• All women

• People above 50 years

• Personal or family history of thyroid disease or any auto immune disease

• High stress life events

• Being pregnant or in the first year after childbirth

• Current or former smoker

• Consuming iodine in herbal supplements or medicines.

• Living in iodine deficient area

• Over consumption of certain foods like brussels sprouts; turnips, cauliflower, etc.

• Recent neck trauma, biopsy, injection, surgery or radiation

Basic diagnostic tests to analyze thyroid function and the risk for thyroid disease include:

• TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), often considered the ‘Gold Standard’ to assess thyroid function and detect sub-clinical thyroid disease.

• Free T3 & free T4, reflective of the unbound and directly effective thyroid hormone levels.

• Tests for thyroid antibodies