Who is affected by hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is the most common type of thyroid problem. The incidence tends to increase with age, with women older than 60 at highest risk. Hypothyroidism tends to run in families.
- Hypothyroidism is more common in older people than in younger and more common in women than in men.
- In iodine-deficient areas of the world, 10 to 20 times more people have hypothyroidism than in areas like Canada and the United States, where iodine is added to food, salt, and water.1
- Mild (subclinical) hypothyroidism affects up to 20 out of 100 of women older than 60.2
- About 2 out of 100 of pregnant women in Canada and the United States develop hypothyroidism.3, 4
- 1 out of every 4,000 infants born worldwide has hypothyroidism. Girls are twice as likely to have hypothyroidism as boys.5
| Author: | Douglas Dana Sabra L. Katz-Wise | Last Updated: October 20, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Hanan Bassyouni, MD - Endocrinology and Metabolism | |
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