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| |  Study Sparks High-Profile Initiative To Raise Awareness Of Thyroid Disease NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 1996 -- A nationwide women's study released today reveals a significant lack of understanding about thyroid disease, even among those who experience three or more of its common symptoms. The study results may help explain why more than half of the estimated 13 million cases of thyroid dysfunction in America remain undiagnosed(1). Tackling this widespread unawareness, the American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) and Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers are joining forces to launch "Your Thyroid: Gland Central(TM)," a nationwide campaign designed to help answer the need for thyroid education. "Gland Central is a wake up call to American women about a disorder that affects five to eight times as many women as men," says Loren Wissner Greene, MD, AMWA spokesperson and clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University Medical Center. "The thyroid hormone influences essentially every organ, tissue and cell in the body. And when thyroid disease goes undetected and untreated, it can elevate cholesterol levels, cause long-term organ complications and may lead to irregular menstrual cycles, infertility and worsening osteoporosis." Ultimately, the initiative seeks to alert women to the thyroid gland's central role in the body, enable them to recognize early signs and symptoms of thyroid disorders, familiarize them with high risk groups, and encourage them to get a simple test for thyroid dysfunction. Teaming up with AMWA to build thyroid awareness is three-time Olympic track and field gold medalist Gail Devers, who personally struggled to overcome thyroid disease. "Thyroid disease could have cost me my dreams if I had let it go undetected," says Devers. "Looking back, I was exhausted all the time and my body felt like it was out of control, but now with treatment I feel perfectly fine. No woman should have to suffer what I went through -- and hopefully, she won't if she knows the signs and symptoms of thyroid disorder to look for." The importance of detecting thyroid dysfunction is supported by a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The study proposes routine testing for mild thyroid failure among the general adult population, concluding that thyroid screening is as cost-effective as screening for more commonly tested medical conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and breast cancer. "What the JAMA study shows is that testing for thyroid disorder is a cost-effective health strategy in preventing mild cases of underactive thyroid from getting worse," says E. Chester Ridgway, MD, division head of endocrinology at the University of Colorado, "Thyroid testing makes sense for the adult population at large, particularly for those who are at high risk such as women and the elderly." Key Findings From Women's Study The nationwide women's study released today, conducted by Louis Harris, is titled "Tracking Fatigue in America." It involved over 1,000 women aged 40 and older, the group at greatest risk for having a thyroid disorder. Aimed at determining how much and how often American women experience fatigue (a common sign of both over- and underactive thyroid conditions), the study found that 41 percent of women had fatigue for no obvious reason in the past year. Of these women, 57 percent said they experience fatigue three or more times a week. Other major findings include: -- Nearly two-thirds of women (65 percent) do not know what hypothyroidism means (underactive thyroid). -- More than half of women (51 percent) experienced three or more symptoms commonly associated with hypothyroidism over the past year. -- Of the women who experienced three or more symptoms commonly associated with hypothyroidism, 75 percent did not discuss all these symptoms with a doctor. Thyroid Disorder Difficult to Detect Hypothyroidism is the most common form of thyroid disorder. It is at least four times as prevalent as hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. Yet, hypothyroidism often remains undiagnosed because its symptoms are easily confused with other common problems associated with aging, menopause or stress. "So many of my patients simply assume that their fatigue and other physical problems such as mood swings, depression and muscle weakness are due to daily pressures," says Dr. Ridgway. "Because of the vague nature of these symptoms, people often don't suspect there might be a medical reason for them." Fortunately, even mild hypothyroidism can be detected with a sensitive TSH test, and can be safely and inexpensively treated with daily synthetic thyroid replacement hormones. Understanding "Gland Central" "Thyroid disorders often go undiagnosed partly because information is not reaching women," says Dr. Greene. "With Gland Central, we're driving home the importance of the thyroid gland with a clear and compelling message: the thyroid is central to the normal functioning of the body." The launch event, held in New York's Grand Central Terminal, offers free thyroid testing to the public. Following the New York launch event, "Your Thyroid: Gland Central" will continue on to Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles during the next few months, and throughout other U.S. cities during 1997. "Your Thyroid: Gland Central" is sponsored by the American Medical Women's Association, a national organization of 13,000 women physicians and medical students, dedicated to promoting women's health, improving the professional development and personal well-being of its members, and increasing the influence of women in all aspects of the medical profession. TSH testing for this program is being made possible by a grant from Bayer Corporation, Diagnostics Division, part of Bayer's worldwide Business Group Diagnostics. The nationwide campaign is being underwritten by Knoll Pharmaceutical Company. (1)Wood, Lawrence C., David S. Cooper, and E. Chester Ridgway. Your Thyroid, A Home Reference, (New York: Ballantine Books, 1995). Photo available on AP PhotoWire.
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