Women
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, Dec. 20, 2018 (NAN) Dr Adefemi Afolabi, an Endocrinologist Surgeon at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has stressed the important role of women in reducing congenital anomalies.
Afolabi made this remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday while speaking on the level of ignorance on congenital anomalies in the country.
According to him, some congenital anomalies or defects are redeemable, especially if intervention comes up at the appropriate time.
“However, ignorance of the congenital anomalies is a major setback in the country,” he said.
According to him, a child is affected if the mother does not have enough thyroxin due to environmental factor.
“The interplay of environment, nature and nurture comes to play. The top surface of the soil is where iodine happens to be and with frequent erosion, this top surface is washed off.
“The plant and even the fish, which is food in that area will be low in iodine, then you have goitre and that is why it is more common in such areas as Ibadan.
“Ibadan has a lot of this, as the town passes through what is called the goitre belt. It is common in Ekiti and Oke Ogun area as well.
“So if that kind of mother is not aware that her hormone level is not adequate, the baby will not be able to develop very well, especially within the first three months.
“It will even affect the brain such that the baby will be short.
“I had a patient before, who was 30 years old, but looking like six years old, with a swelling in the neck,” he said.
Afolabi, therefore, urged women to take adequate diet with iodine to prevent congenital anomalies that are not genetic in nature.
“The mother’s diet is very crucial to the level of hormones in her body.
“Although, some other congenital defects may be genetic; that is, the baby acquires a gene from the father or the mother that makes the child’s thyroid glands not to develop well,” he said. (NAN)
IBK/MAS/YEMI
Edited by Moses Solanke/Yemi Idris-Aduloju