Check Your Neck - January Is Thyroid Awareness Month

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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=35572 Check Your Neck - January Is Thyroid Awareness MonthCategory: Endocrinology NewsArticle Date: 01 Jan 2006 Over 27 million Americans have overactive or underactive thyroid glands, but more than half remain undiagnosed. To recognize Thyroid Awareness Month 2006 in January, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), in cooperation with the American Thyroid Association (ATA), will highlight the importance of the TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) and Free T4 tests, simple blood tests that measures the appropriateness of the thyroid gland's hormone production. It is very important for patients with thyroid imbalance to know their TSH and Free T4 numbers. The optimal TSH range is 0.3 to 3.0 mIU/L. Patients should talk to their doctors about their Free T4 numbers since laboratory ranges can vary. WHY: The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland found just below the Adam's apple. It makes thyroid hormones, which are chemicals that affect the function of many of the body's organs including the heart, brain,

liver, kidneys and skin. If your thyroid is not working properly, neither are you! -- More than 8 out of 10 patients with thyroid disease are women. -- Fifteen to 20 percent of people with diabetes and their siblings or parents are likely to develop thyroid disease (compared to 4.5 percent of the general population). -- Nearly 1 out of every 50 women who become pregnant in the U.S. is diagnosed with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) during pregnancy. -- Six out of every 100 miscarriages are associated with thyroid hormone deficiency during pregnancy. -- The incidence of hypothyroidism increases with age. By age 60, as many as 17 percent of women and 9 percent of men have an underactive thyroid. WHEN: January 2006WHO:The American

Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) is a professional medical organization with more than 5200 members in the United States and 84 other countries. Founded in 1991, AACE is dedicated to the optimal care of patients with endocrine problems, including thyroid disorders. The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the North American professional society for physicians and researchers specializing in diseases of the thyroid gland. The ATA promotes excellence and innovation in clinical care, research, education, and public advocacy. WHERE:Journalists and patients can find information including press materials, medical guidelines, brochures and the AACE “Neck Check™” card at http://www.aace.com, http://www.powerofprevention.comhttp://www.thyroid.org.Thyroid Awareness Month is sponsored by AACE and ATA and supported

through an unrestricted educational grant from Abbott Laboratories. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 1000 Riverside Ave., Ste 205ville, FL 32204United Stateswww.aace.com

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