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Article 5

Philippine Thyroid Association’s Thyroid Expo Kicks off Medicine Week

During the recent celebration of Medicine Week, the Philippine Thyroid Association

(PTA) held its very first Thyroid Expo as part of its advocacy to educate lay people. In an effort

to educate the public and generate awareness on thyroid problems, lectures on hyperthyroidism

(overactive thyroid), hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) and goiter were conducted through

the support of pharmaceutical companies, including Pharmalink, providers of widely prescribed

hyperthyroidism medicine methimazole. “That’s why we chose to hold the lectures here in a

mall, where we are able to offer free thyroid tests to the public at Clinica Manila for those who

could not afford the test,” explains Dr. Roy J. Cuison, endocrinologist and current PTA

 president. “Just like diabetes, many people with thyroid problems are unaware of their condition

until it becomes serious and entrenched. But unlike diabetes, there is still a very low awareness

for thyroid diseases. That’s why the declaration of the third week of January as Goiter

Awareness Week is very important to us,” says Cuison.

For hypothyroidism, common symptoms are fatigue, weight gain, constipation, fuzzy

thinking, low blood pressure, fluid retention, depression, body pain, slow reflexes, among others.

For hyperthyroidism, symptoms include anxiety, insomnia, rapid weight loss, diarrhea, fast heart

rate, high blood pressure, eye sensitivity/bulging and vision disturbances, and many other

concerns. For certain thyroid problems, more women are afflicted than men. At greater risk are

women who have family members (mothers, sisters, or cousins) who have had thyroid problems.

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It also tends to surface after a woman’s first pregnancy.  “If you are a woman and thyroid

problems have been found in your family, it would be best to have your thyroid checked,”

recommends Dr. Cuison. “Thyroid hormones are partly responsible for brain development, that’s

why pregnant women should have a thyroid test while newborns can undergo neonatal screening

to detect potential thyroid problems.” 

“When treating thyroid problems, we use a comprehensive multi-specialty and multi-

discipline approach. Most thyroid problem cases can be managed medically, which means they

can be given tablets. However, for problems discovered much later, there is another modality  —  

surgical intervention. Another modality that can be used is called radioactive iodine,” explains 

Cuison. To improve the awareness and treatment of thyroid problems, Dr. Cuison urges all

physicians to cooperate with the PTA by disseminating information to their patients about

thyroid problems and the need for early detection and treatment.