Question

Give reason for the following:

People living in hilly regions usually suffer from goitre.

Answer 1

Goitre:

1. Goitre is characterized by the enlargement of the thyroid gland.
2. It may be caused due to hypo or hyperthyroidism.
3. Deficiency of iodine in the diet results in low thyroxine secretion.
4. Low thyroxine secretion gives negative feedback to the pituitary to secrete TSH.
5. The elevated TSH secretion stimulates the thyroid to enlarge.

People living in hilly regions suffer from endemic goitre because the soil in those regions does not contain iodine so the food grown in this soil has become deprived of iodine.