By the time she was 16, Alice had suffered some bullying at school -nothing too specific just typical teenage teasing - and was worried about gaining weight due to a thyroid condition.

To describe the status of iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) in the Sudan more than 25 years after the initiation of IDD control programmes and to explore the causes of endemic goitre in the country.

Hypothyroidism is an underproduction of certain hormones and is the most common cause of patchy hair loss known as alopecia areata (which can affect the whole body and not just the head).