Conditions affecting the thyroid can be debilitating and affect around one in 20 people in the UK.
Underactive or overactive thyroid problems can have serious effects on people’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing - with patients also at greater risk of experiencing long-term sick leave and impairment of working ability, according to the University of Aberdeen. Women are six times more likely to suffer from the condition than men.
But a new study by Aberdeen academics found that it takes an average of 4-and-a-half years for a thyroid condition to be diagnosed, with this taking considerably longer for patients with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).
