Hello po!
Merck (the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company with headquarters in Germany) held Unmasking Your Thyroid, a bloggers' event about raising awareness on thyroid disorders, last September 21, 2016, at the Holiday Inn Makati.
We had hearty dinner before proceeding with the forum proper.
According to a 2012 study by the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM), 1 one in 11 Filipino adults has goiter, and around 1 in 12 suffers from some form of thyroid disorder.
Millions of Pinoys are affected by problems with their thyroid, yet awareness of this disease remain very low. Thyroid disorder symptoms are often mistaken for another disease, or worse, just ignored by patients with this disease.
Welcome Message by Dr. Raymond Tapang, Medical Director, Merck.
Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus, Jr., PSEDM President and UP College of Medicine and Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Professor, gave a most informative talk on what the thyroid is, as well as symptoms and treatments pertaining to thyroid disease.
Firstly what is the thyroid?
The thyroid is a vitally important hormonal gland that plays a major role in the metabolism, growth and maturation of the human body. It helps to regulate many body functions by constantly releasing a steady amount of hormones into the bloodstream.
T4 and T3 come from iodine
Thyroid hormones are critical for development of fetal and neonatal brain, as well as many other aspects of pregnancy and fetal growth.
Goiter- enlargement of thyroid glands
Prevalence of goiter in the Philippines:
1st Survery, 1987- 3.5%
1993 Survey- 6.7%
2008 Survey- 8.9% people with goiter VS 5.1% people with diabetes
More people have goiter than diabetes, and yet more people seek treatment for diabetes than for goiter!!!
Permutation of goiters based on Form Function Pathology or FFP
Historical clues for goiter presence
Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) patients tend to have hyperactive metabolism: they can lose weight despite having a good appetite, have heart problems, irritable thoughts, insomnia, sweating, heat intolerance, and hand tremors.
Hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) patients will have slower metabolism: they can gain weight despite not eating much, move and speak slowly, feel tired, depression, cold intolerance and irregular menstrual periods.
Q and A portion. A lot of bloggers have shared personal experiences about the topic at hand. The subjects cancer, nodules and PCOS are also touched.
Dr. Chrysanthus Herrera, Medical Science and Government Affairs Manager, Merck (left), and Dr. Nicodemus, Jr. (right).
There are a lot of people who may have thyroid disorders, but are not aware until it is too late. Therefore, it is important to check one's thyroid as early as possible, especially if there is a family history of the disease, or during pregnancy. Proper information, prevention, and early detection is better than cure!
The website www.thyroid.ph is an online repository of information to learn about thyroid disorders, and contains useful guides to help check for symptoms such as goiter, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.
For more information, you can also visit https://www.facebook.com/thyroidph
Merck (the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company with headquarters in Germany) held Unmasking Your Thyroid, a bloggers' event about raising awareness on thyroid disorders, last September 21, 2016, at the Holiday Inn Makati.
2016 thyroid public awareness campaign
We had hearty dinner before proceeding with the forum proper.
According to a 2012 study by the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM), 1 one in 11 Filipino adults has goiter, and around 1 in 12 suffers from some form of thyroid disorder.
Millions of Pinoys are affected by problems with their thyroid, yet awareness of this disease remain very low. Thyroid disorder symptoms are often mistaken for another disease, or worse, just ignored by patients with this disease.
Thyroid and Pregnancy
Welcome Message by Dr. Raymond Tapang, Medical Director, Merck.
Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus, Jr., PSEDM President and UP College of Medicine and Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health Professor, gave a most informative talk on what the thyroid is, as well as symptoms and treatments pertaining to thyroid disease.
Firstly what is the thyroid?
The thyroid is a vitally important hormonal gland that plays a major role in the metabolism, growth and maturation of the human body. It helps to regulate many body functions by constantly releasing a steady amount of hormones into the bloodstream.
T4 and T3 come from iodine
Thyroid hormones T3 and T4
Thyroid hormones are critical for development of fetal and neonatal brain, as well as many other aspects of pregnancy and fetal growth.
Goiter- enlargement of thyroid glands
Prevalence of goiter in the Philippines:
1st Survery, 1987- 3.5%
1993 Survey- 6.7%
2008 Survey- 8.9% people with goiter VS 5.1% people with diabetes
More people have goiter than diabetes, and yet more people seek treatment for diabetes than for goiter!!!
Permutation of goiters based on Form Function Pathology or FFP
Historical clues for goiter presence
Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) patients tend to have hyperactive metabolism: they can lose weight despite having a good appetite, have heart problems, irritable thoughts, insomnia, sweating, heat intolerance, and hand tremors.
Hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) patients will have slower metabolism: they can gain weight despite not eating much, move and speak slowly, feel tired, depression, cold intolerance and irregular menstrual periods.
Q and A portion. A lot of bloggers have shared personal experiences about the topic at hand. The subjects cancer, nodules and PCOS are also touched.
Dr. Chrysanthus Herrera, Medical Science and Government Affairs Manager, Merck (left), and Dr. Nicodemus, Jr. (right).
I asked about the price of the tablets taken after thyroid surgery (because it will be as maintenance/ for life drugs)and was answered that they are not expensive
There are a lot of people who may have thyroid disorders, but are not aware until it is too late. Therefore, it is important to check one's thyroid as early as possible, especially if there is a family history of the disease, or during pregnancy. Proper information, prevention, and early detection is better than cure!
Thanks for a fun and enlightening evening, Merck! By the way, the butterfly as you can see in the logo depicts the thyroid gland which is butterfly-shaped.
For more information, you can also visit https://www.facebook.com/thyroidph
