Newswise — The American Thyroid Association (www.thyroid.org), in cooperation with the European Thyroid Association (www.eurothyroid.com), supports World Thyroid Day, May 25, 2009, marking it as a day to promote awareness and understanding of thyroid health and the advances made in treating thyroid diseases.
The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located in the middle of the lower neck, produces hormones that influence virtually every cell, tissue and organ in the body. The thyroid regulates the body's metabolism—the rate at which the body produces energy from nutrients and oxygen—and affects critical body functions, such as energy level and heart rate.
"The ATA is committed to educating physicians, patients and the public about the importance of thyroid health so that they can identify and treat thyroid diseases," said Richard Kloos, MD, secretary and chief operating officer of the ATA.
Diseases of the thyroid are very common and affect tens of millions of people worldwide. "World Thyroid Day is dedicated to patients and all who are committed to clinical and experimental thyroidology," said Dr. Leonidas Duntas, chair of the European Thyroid Association's Public Affairs Board and professor of endocrinology at the University of Athens Medical School. "We feel confident that by merging our efforts and resources we may substantially contribute to raising awareness of thyroid diseases through increasing information about thyroid disorders that afflict so many millions of patients around the globe."
"Hypothyroidism," an under-active thyroid, is a condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. This is one of the most common forms of thyroid disease. Symptoms may include fatigue, depression, forgetfulness, irregular menses and weight gain. Treatment for hypothyroidism is usually a synthetic form of thyroid hormone called "levothyroxine."
"Hyperthyroidism" is a condition causing the gland to produce too much thyroid hormone. Symptoms may include irritability, nervousness, muscle weakness, unexplained weight loss, sleep disturbances, vision problem and eye irritation. Graves' disease, one type of hyperthyroidism, has a genetic predisposition.
The thyroid gland also has a great impact on women's health during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the thyroid gland may produce about 30 to 50 percent additional thyroid hormone and may increase in size by 10 to 15 percent.
Because extra thyroid hormone is important for the baby's normal brain development, and because hypothyroidism is common during pregnancy, the ATA recommends that women at high-risk for thyroid disease should be screened on becoming pregnant.
"We sincerely hope that the celebration of World Thyroid Day will further stimulate both political and public interest in thyroid diseases, the most common endocrine diseases world-wide," said Dr. Duntas.
The American Thyroid Association (ATA) (www.thyroid.org) is the lead American organization in promoting thyroid health and understanding thyroid biology. The ATA values scientific inquiry, clinical excellence, public service, education, collaboration, and collegiality. ATA members are physicians and scientists who work to enhance the understanding of thyroid physiology and pathophysiology, improve diagnosis and treatment of thyroid diseases, and promote education about thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. Thyroid diseases are the most common disorders of the endocrine system, affecting almost 13 million Americans.
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