Hypothyroidism highly prevalent in India: Report

Hypothyroidism, a common form of thyroid disorder, is highly prevalent in India with one out of 10 people in the country diagnosed with the condition, a new report said Thursday.

Thyroid is a gland which produces a hormone influencing almost all metabolic processes in the human body.

The most common thyroid problems involve abnormal production of thyroid hormones. Too much thyroid hormone results in a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Insufficient hormone production leads to hypothyroidism.

Hypothyroidism was found to be affecting 10.95 percent of the studied population in India.

The older population (above the age of 35 years) seemed to be at a higher risk of hypothyroidism than the younger population.

Of the 5,360 people screened for the study, more than one-fourth (26.7 percent) were from Delhi.

Over 11 percent of the study population from Delhi reported hypothyroidism and one-third of them were not even aware of their disease, said the "Thyroid Epidemiological Study" by Abbot India, a leading health care and pharmaceutical company.

Women were three times more likely to be affected by hypothyroidism than men (15.86 percent as against 5.02 percent), especially those in the 46-54 years age group, it said.

Undetected cases were significantly higher in Delhi (3.97 percent) as compared to other major cities like Mumbai (2.86 percent) and Chennai (2.09 percent).

About 9.61 percent of the study population in Delhi had mild thyroid failure, which may lead to hypothyroidism in future.

"The study assessed the nationwide prevalence of thyroid disorder, particularly hypothyroidism in adults residing in various cities that represent diverse geographic origin, occupation, socio-economic status and food habits," said A.G. Unnikrishnan, principal investigator of the study and CEO and endocrinologist at Chellaram Diabetes Institute in Pune.

Raj Kumar Lalwani, a consultant physician in a south Delhi hospital, said: "Over 11 percent of the study population was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and one-third of hypothyroid cases were not aware of their disease."