Prevalence and quality of life among people with iodine deficiency disorders in selected villages of Udupi district, Karnataka.

Introduction: In India, the entire population is prone to iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) due to iodine deficiency in the soil of the subcontinent and consequently, the food derived from it. People with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism report a decreased quality of life (QOL). The study aimed to determine the prevalence and QOL of people who were diagnosed with IDD. Methods: A total of 2,360 people residing among 252 houses were surveyed using the nonprobability purposive sampling technique. Results: Out of 2,360 people surveyed, 16 cases were identified that were diagnosed with IDD. Thus, the prevalence of diagnosed IDD in the selected villages was 0.68%. Among 16 diagnosed IDD cases, most of them (56.2%) belonged to the age group of 46 to 65 years and were females (93.8%), 56.2% had an annual income of less than 30,000 INR. Among the 16 diagnosed IDD cases, the majority (75%) were diagnosed with hypothyroidism and were on treatment. Most of them (81.2%) checked their blood TSH once in three months, 18.8% have never done blood investigations after diagnosis, and most of them were using iodized salt for cooking. Symptoms experienced by the diagnosed cases of IDD were fatigue (81.2%), lack of sleep (56.2%), appetite changes (50%), intolerance to heat/cold (31.2%), and loss of hair (43.8%). The QOL is not affected negatively among the diagnosed cases, as all of them have scored fairly well in all the domains of QOL. Conclusions: IDDs are a very common health problem affecting the community people, which is more prevalent among females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]