AACE, ACE launch year-long thyroid awareness campaign

Launching a year-long campaign to deepen public understanding about the importance of the thyroid, the American College of Endocrinology, in partnership with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, has released “10 Questions to Ask About Your Thyroid Health” to encourage dialogue among patients and providers.

“An estimated 28 million Americans suffer from some type of thyroid problem that needs to be properly diagnosed and treated,” Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FACE, FNLA, and president of ACE said in a press release. “This campaign identifies the different types of thyroid disorders, signs and symptoms to look for and important questions to ask your doctor about thyroid illness.”

The list of questions, available for download at www.thyroidawareness.com, covers five questions patients would want to ask their physician and five more to be geared toward their pharmacist.

ACE will extend the awareness campaign through presence at major health fairs throughout the year, interviews on media outlets across the United States and a special issue of the society’s patient education publication EmPower Magazine.

“For 20 years, AACE and ACE have focused on public awareness campaigns to help educate people about thyroid health and other endocrine-related diseases,” R. Mack Harrell, MD, FACP, FACE, and president of AACE, said in the release. “As the endocrine experts, it’s our responsibility to help people learn more about these serious but treatable conditions.”