In this condition
produced by thyroid under functioning, the patient is sluggish physically and
mentally, cannot stand the cold, sometimes develops a tongue so large and thick
that it sticks out of the mouth. Treatment, by administration of thyroid
hormone, usually brings marked improvement. Some babies are born with thyroid
deficiency.
Any child who seems to be developing too slowly-for example, in
following objects with his eyes or holding his head erect-should be checked by
a physician for thyroid deficiency. The earlier such a child is treated, the
better the chances for normal development.
To function normally,
the thyroid must have iodine. Lacking sufficient iodine, it cannot produce the
normal quantity of hormone. In an effort to compensate, the gland enlarges
until a noticeable lump may appear in the throat. The swelling, or goiter, may
become large enough to interfere with breathing or swallowing.
Thyroid hormoneconsists of about 65 percent iodine, but the amount of iodine needed in food to
avoid goiter is small. Iodized table salt-an amount no more than ordinarily
used with meals-is enough, even in areas where the soil is completely lacking
in natural iodine. Too much iodine may cause a skin eruption.
Although
consuming iodine does not cute a simple goiter, it will prevent one and will
stop an existing goiter from enlarging further. Anyone with even a small goiter
should have medical attention for it.
It is especially important for expectant
mothers who live in regions such as the Rocky Mountain States, the Great Lakes
Basin, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley, where the soil is lacking in iodine,
to follow doctor's orders about the amount of iodine they need. Insufficient
iodine in the diet may cause a mother to produce a child with thyroid
deficiency.
However, most pregnant women develop a slight enlargement of
the thyroid, and this should cause no undue worry.
