Thrissur, May 20 (Agency) Leading immunologist and male infertility expert Dr Aparna Jairam cautioned that higher incidence of Hypothyroid is leading to increasing cases of male infertility in India and proper and timely medical attention can reduce the risk of male infertility among thyroid patients. She was speaking at a Continuing Medical Education (CME) program organized by Pathquest Diagnostic in Thrissur for laboratory professionals in Thrissur, a release said. “There are enough medical evidences to show that the increasing incidence of Hypothyroid enhances the risks of higher infertility among male patients. Therefore, identifying Hypothyroid assumes importance since early detection and proper treatment can result in reduced incidence of infertility among male patients.”
“Sensitizing paramedical professionals and clinical laboratory experts about this medical condition is very important”, she said. She said medical evidence shows that proper treatment can lead to improvement in the sperm quality of a patient though it did not show any improvement in sperm count. She said the incidence of Thyroid is fast increasing in the country and chances are that India would soon become the Thyroid capital of the world. Therefore, public health policy should give due importance to Thyroid treatment as well. “The incidence of Thyroid is increasing among Indians and women are more afflicted by this disease than men”, she said. The prevalence of Thyroid in its many forms are higher among women with high natural background radiation, she added. She said among endocrine diseases, thyroid diseases are arguably common and Kerala is no exception.
A study based on a household survey in Kerala found that thyroid abnormalities are present in almost 20% of the adult population in the state. This highlights the importance of careful clinical examination so that the affected can avail proper medical treatment on time, she added. She said Hypothyroid also lead to other complications like co-morbidities including gaining wait to mental health issues. “Thyroid is not just Thyroid. It is associated with many other medical conditions ranging from mental health to skin discoloring to hair loss, infertility and so on. Such co-morbidities make treating Thyroid a bit complex medical process,” she pointed out. Hypothyroid is a medical condition referring to abnormally low activity of the thyroid gland, resulting in slowing of growth and mental development in children and metabolic changes in adults. Thyroid is essentially caused by acute deficiency of iodine in a person. Dr Aparna Jairam is a leading immunologist and male infertility expert and a national level assessor of National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). She is also the Secretary of Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organizations (CAHO), an agency taking lead in improving quality in healthcare sector.