Ashok Chirathalattu Babu1, Mattavana Ramakrishna Pillai Balachandran Nair2, Anu Kooliyedathu Balan3, Kiran Thilakarajan4
BACKGROUND
Thyroid diseases are commonest endocrine disorders in India. Studies have shown that one in ten adults in India suffer from hypothyroidism. But it is often underdiagnosed and goes undetected for years. The present study was intended to perform thyroid ultrasound screening among a section of Thrissur population for evaluating the prevalence, various patterns of thyroid pathologies, its age and sex relation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Ultrasound screening for thyroid gland was done for 100 individuals selected from a skewed population of St. Joseph’s Church, Kuriachira, Thrissur, Kerala between Nov. 16– Nov. 30 of 2016.
RESULTS
Among 100 individuals, 51 were found to have thyroid diseases. Among these 51, various patterns of thyroid diseases were noted; thyroiditis (17), multinodular goitre (12), benign nodules (17) and atypical nodules (7). 47 out of 73 females and 4 out of 27 males had thyroid abnormalities. The study also demonstrated that prevalence of thyroid disease was more in the age group of 60-70 years (78.5%).
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated high prevalence of thyroid diseases (5 in 10) in the study population. Association with increasing age and female predisposition for thyroid diseases also noted.
