Thyroid Disorders

Abstract

Thyroid disorders are highly prevalent worldwide. In order to obtain a better understanding of these disorders research was done by analyzing current data and scholarly literature. Questions answered by this research comprise different aspects of thyroid disorders and their affects. What types of thyroid disorders exist? How do they affect the body and how detrimental are they when left untreated? How do these disorders affect the daily living of the individuals affected? And how are third world populations affected by these disorders? Research suggests that over 750 million people worldwide suffer from a thyroid disorder. These disorders have detrimental effects on the body’s functions and metabolism. When the human thyroid is interrupted a host of symptoms can occur. These symptoms make activities of daily living a challenge. Several treatments are available, the most common being supplementation of synthetic thyroid hormone. Research shows that countries in Africa suffer from a high prevalence of iodine deficiencies. Many of these deficiencies are left untreated and lead to premature death. The most cost effective treatment is supplementation of iodine in the daily diet of the populations through iodized salt. This supplementation could decrease the prevalence of these deficiencies if implemented. This thesis will investigate the causes, distribution and treatment of thyroid disorders.