I’ve recently written a post about an episode on Dr. Oz’s show about thyroid cancer and the thyroid guard possibly making an impact on lowering your risk of the disease. Ironically, the Sun-times had an article about thyroid health awareness a few weeks ago, with January being designated by The American Thyroid Association (ATA) as Thyroid Awareness Month. The Sun-Times article shared some interesting points about a common form of thyroid malfunction called hypothyroidism.
First of all, you may ask-what is hypothyroidism? The American Thyroid Association (ATA) defines it as the most common form of thyroid malfunctions, affecting up to 15 percent of Americans in cases ranging from mild to those requiring medication. One interesting fact about it is that it seemingly affects Americans differently from other people. In fact, Dr. Elizabeth Pearce, associate professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine and the president-elect of the ATA, says that a person’s immune system could affect this disease in America.
“Here, it’s because a person’s immune system fails to recognize the thyroid and attacks-a situation in which antibodies directed against the thyroid gland lead to chronic inflammation-also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis,” Pearce said.
Hypothyroidism and a less common ailment called hyperthyroidism are both five to ten times more common in women than in men. Pearce mentioned that there are unknown reasons as to why this is the case. Also, the ATA adds that one woman in eight will develop a thyroid disorder in her lifetime.
Sounds like some scary statistics, doesn’t it? That’s why doctors are advising people, especially those who happen to have this disease in their families, to get tested for any thyroid problems. Hey, you’re better off being safe than sorry. For more information about any thyroid disorders such as thyroid cancer and hypothyroidism, visit www.webmd.com or the ATA website at www.thyroid.org.
