The American Thyroid Association has partnered up with the European Thyroid Association and other organizations from around the world to celebrate World Thyroid Awareness Day, which is being celebrated today, March 25, 2016.

Today marks the ninth annual World Thyroid Awareness Day, and the goal of the day is to promote awareness about diseases and conditions that affect the thyroid. Thyroid issues are a problem all across the globe, and contributing factors like inadequate iodine intake, radiation exposure and smoking puts millions of people at risk each and every day. Prevention is great, but so too is timely diagnosis and steadfast treatment, and World Thyroid Awareness Day hopes to help anyone suffering from thyroid-related issues get the help the need.

Thyroid Facts and Figures

To help spread the word about your thyroid gland, its functions and what problems can arise, the European Thyroid Association put together some quick facts about your thyroid. Learn more about the gland below!

• Hashimoto’s Disease, the most common cause of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), affects roughly 2-4 percent of the population. Oftentimes the condition affects women more than men.

• Congenital Hypothyroidism affects roughly 1 in 3,500 newborns. This condition is categorized by iodine deficiency, and newborns need to take daily hormones.

• Hyperthyroidism is categorized by an overactive thyroid gland that results in the overproduction of many hormones in the body, which can lead to weight loss, anxiety, fatigue and restlessness.

• Thyroid Cancer is the 16th most common cancer worldwide, but it is actually the 8th most common cancer among women.

• The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased by at least 150 percent in the last half century.

• According to the American Thyroid Association, up to 60 percent of thyroid disease sufferers go undiagnosed.

Because such a high number of people go undiagnosed, it is our hope that you will consider visiting a thyroid specialist should you begin to notice some unexplained weight gain/loss, you seem hyper or overly tired, or you just aren’t feeling like yourself. The sooner you get the condition diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin. You can set up a consultation with Dr. Koeplin by clicking here, or you can click here to find a specialist in your area.