CLINICAL THYROIDOLOGY FOR THE PUBLIC
A publication of the American Thyroid Association

Table of Contents

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

With this issue, Clinical Thyroidology for Patients becomes Clinical Thyroidology for the Public! We are changing our name (but not our content!). In this journal, we will bring to you, the patient, the most up-to-date, cutting edge thyroid research. We will be providing summaries of research studies that were discussed in a recent issue of Clinical Thyroidology, a publication of the American Thyroid Association for physicians. These summaries are present in lay language to allow the rapid dissemination of thyroid research to the widest possible audience. The switch from "Patients" to "the Public" simply mirrors these efforts and confirms that you do not need to be a patient to make use of Clinical Thyroidology for the Public. This means that you are getting the latest information on thyroid research and treatment almost as soon as your physicians.

We are also planning additional content, possibly some topic reviews, in future issues. As always, we are happy to entertain any suggestions to improve Clinical Thyroidology for the Public so let us know what you want to see.

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:

  1. Is autism associated with hypothyroidism in the mother during pregnancy?
  2. Are low thyroid hormone levels a risk factor for premature delivery during pregnancy?
  3. Is monitoring frequent white blood cell counts helpful in following patients with Graves’ disease treated with antithyroid drugs?
  4. Can US findings predict the risk that a thyroid nodule is cancerous?
  5. Does performing a neck ultrasound before surgery in thyroid cancer patients helpful in planning thyroid surgery?
  6. Is the diabetes drug Metformin an effective treatment option for patients with thyroid cancer?
  7. Is radioactive iodine therapy useful in radiation-induced thyroid cancers after exposure to the Chernobyl nuclear accident?

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