CLINICAL THYROIDOLOGY FOR PATIENTS
A publication of the American Thyroid Association

Table of Contents

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Welcome to 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 providing 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. Also check out our friends in the ATA 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:

  • What is the relationship between thyroid function and atrial fibrillation?
  • Is there an association between thyroid levels in the umbilical cord and brain development?
  • Is there a difference in cost between robotic and traditional thyroid surgery?
  • What is the role of age in determining prognosis in thyroid cancer patients?
  • How frequent is salivary gland dysfunction after radioactive iodine therapy for thyroid cancer?

We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let us know what you want to see in this publication. I hope you find these summaries interesting and informative.

— Alan P. Farwell, MD