World Thyroid Day is annually observed across the globe on 25th May to create awareness about the importance of the thyroid gland, a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck and to educate the general public about thyroid diseases and their symptoms.
Awareness ribbon:
The blue and blue paisley print ribbons are used as the awareness ribbon to support awareness for Thyroid diseases.
Background:
i.World Thyroid Day (WTD) was founded by the European Thyroid Association (ETA) in 2008.
ii.In 2010, the day was endorsed by the four sister societies -ETA, American Thyroid Association, Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) and the Asia and Oceania Thyroid Association (AOTA) at the International Thyroid Congress(ITC) in Paris, France.
- 25th May was chosen as the day of observance since the date was already observed as “National Thyroid Day” in some Scandinavian countries.
Thyroid diseases
i.Thyroid diseases cause your thyroid to make either too much or too little of the hormones.
ii.It can range from a small, harmless goiter (enlarged gland) to cancer.
Most common thyroid-related conditions include Thyroid nodules, Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s Disease, Hyperthyroidism, Goiter, Thyroiditis and thyroid cancer.
Prevention of Thyroid Diseases:
The efforts to prevent thyroid disease include adopting various lifestyle factors and behaviours
- Maintaining a healthy diet with sufficient iodine, selenium, and iron intake
- Avoiding smoking
- Abstaining from excessive alcohol consumption
- Managing stress
- Getting enough sound sleep
- Practising safe sun exposure to maintain adequate vitamin D levels.
About European Thyroid Association (ETA):
President– Graham Williams(United Kingdom)
Founded in 1965
Headquarters– Altdorf, Germany
