Health Corner

Thyroid awareness drive
The Indian Thyroid Society and Abbott India jointly organised an awareness drive about thyroid related disorders on the Mother’s Day. It is estimated that 4.2 crore Indians are suffering from thyroid disorders with almost 90 per cent undiagnosed. Although the reason is not understood,women are at a higher risk of most types of thyroid disease than men. Postpartum thyroiditis,an inflammation of the Thyroid appears between one to eight months after giving birth and affects about eight per cent of women. Additionally,Iodine deficiency in a pregnant woman can cause a congenital abnormality in the child,known as cretinism,serious,irreversible condition with severe cognitive and mental disability,resulting in growth retardation and developmental delay.

Prof R V Jayakumar,president of the Indian Thyroid Society said,”The most common thyroid disorder occurring around or during pregnancy is thyroid hormone deficiency,or hypothyroidism. That is why we decided to initiate an awareness campaign on Mothers Day this year urging all women and expectant mothers to undergo thyroid testing to ensure a healthy life for themselves and their babies. As part of a pre cautionary measure,women should check their TSH level as soon as pregnancy has confirmed”. Untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy may have severe implication on foetus like irreversible neurological deficit,lower child IQ,fetal distress and prenatal death. According to a study published in New England Journal of Medicine; mothers who had untreated hypothyroidism during pregnancy had children whose IQ levels were significantly lower than those of the control children group. Furthermore undiagnosed thyroid condition in pregnant women also increases the risk of miscarriages,stillbirth and premature birth

Goodness in a pack
Tetra Pack recently organised its popular – Drink healthy,live healthy campaign to Pune. People of all age group participated in the campaign where they enjoyed a wide range of juices and shakes available in tetra pack and also know about the benefits of consuming UHT processed milk and juices that ensures high nutritional value without any preservatives. Professional bar tenders were roped in to create some healthy mock tails,juice mixes and shakes.