Thyroid disorders are becoming increasingly common. To spread awareness on this, the NSS wing of the College of Nursing in association with the Diabetes & Endocare Clinic, Brahmapur on Thursday organised a workshop at the college auditorium.
IG of Police (Southern Range) Amitabh Thakur was the chief guest with MKCG Medical College Dean Prof AK Dandapat and Surgical Oncology Department Head Prof Siba P Patnaik, Roland Group of Institutes chairperson J Jayalakshmi; Nursing College Principal P lakshmi Bai and District NSS Programme Officer Satish Nayak as guests of honour.
Consultant endocrinologist of Diabetes and Endocare Clinic Dr Sunil Kumar Kota participated as the chief speaker. A free thyroid blood testing was conducted for nursing staff, students and faculty members of the College of Nursing where about 150 people were tested. Then in an interactive session on thyroid disorders, Dr Kota explained about the causes, symptoms and treatment of various thyroid disorders.
He said 8% to 10% of thel Indian population is now affected by thyroid disorders. Earlier the cause was iodine deficiency; now these are predominantly due to autoimmune imbalance. These are seen five times more commonly in females. Hypothyroidism is a state associated with low thyroid hormone levels in the body. Sometimes a swelling in front of the neck can be there called as goiter. It can affect newborns, growing children with impaired mental, physical and sexual growth. Thyroid testing should ideally be done in all pregnant women to avoid complications. Treatment is in the form of tablets, radio iodine therapy, surgery, etc., depending on severity of the disorders.
The guests urged people to be aware of these increasingly common thyroid disorders for their timely diagnosis and proper treatment.