Total serum levels of triiodothyronine (T3) thyroxine (T4) and thyrotropine (TSH) in school going children of Dibrugarh district: an endemic goitre region of Assam.

The Thyroid Status was studied by estimating the total serum levels of T3 and T4 by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and TSH by radioimmunometric Assay (IRMA) from 635 school children (8-20 years; male 129, female 506) of the Dibrugarh district: a chronic endemic goitrous region of India. The results were compared with the control group of 147 (male 48, female 99) of healthy medical students of the same geographical area. The average values of T3 and TSH of school children were found higher and T4 lower than the control; the difference were only significant for T3 and TSH. T3/T4 ratio is more in school children than the control. The findings of low T4 and high TSH indicate that the school children (Pubertal stage) from chronic iodine deficients areas suffer from poor thyroid status; the male seemed to have been affected more than the female. As age advances the thyroid status improves in female.