With the aim of raising awareness about the importance of this gland in the body and its impact on health, World Thyroid Day is commemorated every May 25. In Loja, around 10 people are treated for this disease every week.
Circumstances
In this context, the Sociedad de Lucha contra el Cáncer Núcleo de Loja (Solca-L) held an open house to make the public aware of the importance of this organism in people’s lives and that it can suffer from cancer. The symptoms can be related to other common diseases.
Judith Valdivieso Jara, a specialist in endocrinology and internal medicine at Solca-L, said that in the city and province of Loja she has observed a high rate of cases of thyroid cancer and especially pathologies such as hypo and hyperthyroidism —which are very frequent—, having Keep in mind that in hypothyroidism there is very little hormone production, and hyperthyroidism, excess hormone production, so in one there will be excess weight and in the other low weight, constipation, diarrhea, there may also be alterations in menses and infertility.
“It is necessary that you go to a doctor to detect the disease if you present the symptoms described above or, in turn, if you have problems in your emotional part, sleep, dry skin, hair loss, among others,” he said.
Cases
The specialist added that, of the entire population that Ecuador has, 15% of the inhabitants suffer from the disease. “In the case of the city and province of Loja, every day I assess patients with thyroid cancer, that is, a week I see around 10 cancer patients, giving a monthly average of 40, which is a quite a high number,” he said.
The causes for this disease to occur can be several, among these are: environmental factors, genetics, and mercury. (YO)
Given
The disease is more common in women.