Dr Abigail Garba, Senior Registrar, Department of Family Medicine, National Hospital, Abuja, says intake of iodine supplement could prevent goitre.
Garba gave the advice this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland that causes a lump to form in the front the neck.
The expert said it occurred largely due to over production of hormone, auto-immune and iodine deficiency in the diets.
She said that goitre could be prevented by regular intake of iodine supplement such as iodised salt.
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“Goitre can be prevented by intake of iodine supplementation, that is iodised salt, and I advised those who have visible swelling to go for surgery,” she said.
According to her, iodine deficiency, auto-immune, pregnancy, breastfeeding, cyanide poisons and puberty were the major causes of goitre.
She explained that auto-immune “is a situation in which immune system attacks healthy cells in the body by mistake,” while cyanide are chemical containing a Carbon-Nitrogen (CN) bond.
Garba said goitre could be treated by using required medical diagnosis by medical professionals.
“This is treatable by medical professionals, it requires diagnosis such as laboratory test and X-ray,” she said.
Garba said that early sign of goitre was usually associated with swelling of neck.
She however advised publics to visit hospital without delay whenever they notice swelling around their necks.
