Significant Decline of Thyroid Cases in Kashmir

Researchers probe the significant decrease of thyroid cases reported in Kashmir. According to doctors, thyroid cases in Kashmir declined an astonishing seventy-five percent. Dr. Khursheed Ahmad, a medical professional in Kashmir, stated that thyroid related medical conditions are more common in females now. Earlier, nearly forty percent of people in Kashmir - including children - suffered from various types of thyroid disorders and this was attributed to the deficiency of iodine.

Kashmir Recent History and The Medical Care in the Region

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. The economy in Kashmir is centered around agriculture. The country was badly damaged by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake in 2005, which resulted in over seventy thousand deaths. As a result of the earthquake, many medical facilities had been destroyed.

The Kashmir lifestyle is traditionally slow paced and the people enjoy religious diversity. The people of Kashmir are known to take pleasure in their music within local forms and traditional dress of both sexes is quite common.

The majority of the populations in Kashmir dwell in remote areas, meaning people often do not get proper medical care and counseling. Adequate medical care is available in the major population centers, but is crowded and sometimes understaffed.

Goiters

A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that often produces a noticeable swelling in the front of the neck. Goiters can sometimes be caused by iodine deficiency, inability of the body to use iodine efficiently, or a variety of other thyroid disorders. Thyroid swellings, known as goiters, are a major health care issue in Kashmir.

Past Thyroid Problems in Kashmir

According to researchers, during the early 1990s, thyroid problems were at their peak in Kashmir. Almost nineteen thousand children in over two hundred villages of Kashmir suffered from iodine deficiency related thyroid disease. Fortunately, due to community awareness campaigns, this trend of thyroid disease in the region is on the decline as people in Kashmir are now refraining from using non-iodized salt.