CLINICAL THYROIDOLOGY FOR PATIENTS
A publication of the American Thyroid Association

Table of Contents

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Welcome to our 6th year of Clinical Thyroidology for Patients, bringing to you, the patient, the most up-to-date, cutting edge thyroid research. What you read here as research studies will likely become the accepted practice in the future. Clinical Thyroidology for Patients is published on a monthly basis and includes summaries of research studies that were discussed in a recent issue of Clinical Thyroidology, a publication of the American Thyroid Association for physicians. This means that you, the patients, are getting the latest information on thyroid research and treatment almost as soon as your physicians.

We will be continuing to provide even faster updates of late-breaking thyroid news through Twitter at @thyroidfriends and on Facebook. Our goal is to provide you with the tools to be the most informed thyroid patient in the waiting room. Please feel free to submit questions as well as suggestions as to how we can better serve thyroid patients.

The Calendar of Events highlights educational forums and support groups that are organized around the country by members of the Alliance for Thyroid Patient Education. The Alliance member groups consist of: the American Thyroid Association, the Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation, the Light of Life Foundation, ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Thyroid Cancer Canada, and Thyroid Federation International.

In this issue, the studies ask the following questions:

• Is gaining weight after quitting smoking caused by hypothyroidism?
• Does smoking and alcohol consumption change your risk for developing thyroid cancer?
• Do children with seizure disorders need to be screened for hypothyroidism?
• Can you diagnose papillary thyroid cancer on ultrasound alone?
• What are the risks for removing all lymph nodes in the central neck during thyroid cancer surgery?

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

— Alan P. Farwell, MD