NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Every time you look in the mirror, a key to your well-being is staring back at you: your thyroid gland. But for 27 million Americans, this small but important gland -- located at the base of the neck and regulating essentially every organ, tissue and cell in the body -- does not function properly. More than half of the people with thyroid disorders are unaware that they have this medical problem. Additionally, many people being treated for thyroid disorders don’t know the potential health impact of switching medications without physician supervision -- especially in people with thyroid cancer, cardiovascular disease, pregnant women and the elderly where precise dosing is critical.
Out of concern for patients who may not fully understand the importance of using the same brand of thyroid medication throughout treatment, or who may not be practicing good thyroid health, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) today launched its 2005 thyroid awareness campaign, A Healthy Thyroid: You Make the Difference. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has also joined forces with AACE to spread the word in this important campaign and empower patients to take a more active role in maintaining their thyroid health.
AACE encourages patients to know The Three “Ts” of Thyroid Therapy -- 3 simple steps that help patients make a difference in ensuring a healthy thyroid:
1. Think About Your Thyroid: Know the symptoms of over -- and underactive thyroid and talk to your doctor when you don’t feel well. Look for bulges or protrusions in the neck which may indicate the presence of a thyroid disorder.
2. Take Your Medication: Remember to be consistent. If you have been prescribed thyroid medication, take it at the same time every day, as directed by your doctor. AACE and ATA strongly encourage thyroid patients to take the same brand of thyroid medication throughout treatment, exactly as prescribed by your physician. Each time you refill your prescription, check to make sure the shape of the pill is the same. Switching your thyroid medication from one brand to another brand, or from a brand to a generic, should be made only under the guidance of a physician, since retesting and dosage adjustment may be required over several office visits to ensure that optimal thyroid hormone levels are achieved and maintained.
3. Track Your Condition: Make sure your doctor checks your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) level regularly to make sure you are in the normal range.
“Thyroid disease often requires lifelong therapy and is best managed with consistent and precise treatment with the same brand of thyroid hormone, typically a levothyroxine sodium (LT4) pill taken once daily. The doctor may change the dose of thyroid hormone, but the brand of thyroid hormone medication should always stay the same,” said Carlos R. Hamilton, Jr., MD, FACE, and President of AACE. “Small differences do exist among various thyroid brands that can have a significant effect on patient health, especially among elderly patients, patients with thyroid cancer or cardiovascular conditions, or patients who are or become pregnant. Serious health consequences such as elevated cholesterol, heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression can be minimized with consistent and precise therapy.”
According to AACE guidelines(1), patients need to be screened for thyroid disease with a TSH test once they reach 35, or if they present with any symptoms or risk factors associated with thyroid disease such as fatigue, mood swings, forgetfulness, weight gain, depression, and dry, coarse skin and hair. Once diagnosed with thyroid disease, a TSH test should be performed regularly for optimal adjustment of treatment.
“Because the symptoms of thyroid disease are somewhat vague or subtle, patients often don’t know they should be asking their doctor for a TSH test,” said Hamilton. “In fact, since hypothyroidism can develop quite slowly, many patients have said they didn’t realize they were ill until they began treatment and started feeling more energetic and healthy.”
About Thyroid Disease
If the thyroid gland doesn’t work properly, neither do you. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck just below the Adam’s apple and above the collarbone. Thyroid disease is of particular concern to women, who are five to eight times more likely than men to be diagnosed with the condition(2). Nearly one out of 50 women in the U.S. is diagnosed with hypothyroidism during pregnancy, and six out of every 100 miscarriages can be associated with thyroid deficiency during pregnancy. The elderly are also at increased risk for the disease -- by age 60, as many as 17 percent of women and nine percent of men have an underactive thyroid(3). Thyroid disease is also linked to other autoimmune diseases, including certain types of diabetes, arthritis, and anemia(4). For example, 15 to 20 percent of people with Type 1 diabetes, as well as their siblings or parents, are likely to develop a thyroid disorder during their lifetime(5). Eighty percent of patients diagnosed with thyroid disease have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)(6).
Although mild hypothyroidism can often be treated by a primary care physician, AACE recommends that certain types of hypothyroidism patients see an endocrinologist:
* Patients of age 18 years or less * Patients unresponsive to therapy * Pregnant patients * Cardiac patients * Presence of goiter, nodule, or other structural changes in the thyroid gland * Presence of other endocrine disease
While the TSH blood test is the most sensitive and accurate diagnostic tool for thyroid disease, AACE also recommends that patients perform a simple self-examination called the Neck Check(TM). This easy, quick self-exam, unveiled by AACE in 1997, helps an individual to detect if they have an enlarged thyroid gland and should speak with their doctor about further testing.
For step-by-step instructions on how to perform the Neck Check, or to download additional educational materials about the 2005 awareness campaign, please visit the AACE Web site at http://www.aace.com/. For additional information about thyroid disease, please visit the ATA Web site at http://www.thyroid.org/.
About AACE
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) was established in 1991 and is the country’s largest professional organization of clinical endocrinologists. Its membership consists of more than 5,200 clinical endocrinologists devoted to providing care for patients with endocrine disorders. The association strives to improve the public’s understanding and awareness of endocrine diseases and the added value of the clinical endocrinologist in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
About ATA
The American Thyroid Association (ATA), founded in 1923, is a professional society of 900 U.S. and international physicians and scientists who specialize in the research and treatment of thyroid diseases. The ATA is dedicated to promoting scientific and public understanding of the biology of the thyroid gland and its disorders, so as to improve methods for prevention, diagnosis, and management. The ATA fosters excellence in research, patient care, and education of patients, the public, and the medical and scientific communities. The ATA also guides public policy about the prevention and management of thyroid diseases.
Thyroid Awareness Month is sponsored by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, and supported through an unrestricted educational grant from Abbott.
1. AACE Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Evaluation and Treatment of Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism, Endocrine Practice, November/December 2002, Vol. 8, No. 6, 457-469
2. Wood L.C. Your Thyroid: A Home Reference, Ballantine Books, New York, 1995 (pp. 216-217)
3. Wood L.C. Your Thyroid: A Home Reference Ballantine Books, New York, 1995 (pp. 179)
4. Wood L.C. Your Thyroid: A Home Reference Ballantine Books, New York, 1995 (pp. 26)
5. Adams A, Walston J, Silver K. Autoimmune Disease Risk in Families with Type 1 Diabetes, http://www.genetichealth.com/Diabetes_Home.shtml 10/27/01
6. Hollowell study
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
CONTACT: Erin Enke of Fleishman-Hillard, +1-212-453-2386,enkee@fleishman.com; or Sissy Crabtree of AACE, +1-904-353-7878,scrabtree@aace.com