Medical know-how: ‘Thyroid deficiency leads to lower IQ in children’

Decreasing levels of iodine in the diet lead to an insufficient production of thyroid hormone which in turn results in lower IQ levels in children.

This was stated at a lecture on thyroid awareness that was held at the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) girls campus on Thursday, said a press release.

The event was organised by IIUI in collaboration with Kulsoom International Hospital to mark the International Thyroid Day.

Dr Nighat Bilal, from Kulsoom Hospital, explained the effects of thyroid in the human body.

“If the thyroid is enlarged, there is a high risk that the surrounding organ may also be affected,” she added. Dr Nighat also stressed the need for thyroid checkups for those children whose parents suffered from the disease.

In her address IIUI Campus Director Dr Zaitoon thanked the guest speaker and said the university always focused on arranging informatory seminars to create a better social, moral and medical understanding among students. After the lecture, students asked questions related to thyroid problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2013.