January 2005

January has been declared as the THYROID AWARENESS MONTH and New FDA Approved Test Detects Thyroid Disease in Minutes......!

There has been a desperate need for a cheaper thyroid test, and this has been highlighted on this site earlier. While a mention has been made of the possibility of reducing test costs drastically (see this article), in India, the routine Thyroid tests continue to be treated as the only available and expensive tests. Thyroid problems are ignored; treating the symptoms of a malady has become a popular thing and the root cause is being ignored. So - patients continue to rush and do cardiac profiles and diabetic profiles with great alacrity, thanks to the hype created , and the ALARM factor , as such as it exists. Cardiac speciality hospitals continue to proliferate in the city of Mumbai, and patients deliberate and do research on which hosiptal offers the best etc. While pathological testing companies continue to offer "special executive tests" so that big companies can offer free medical testing to their upper rung and middle rung executives, no special thinking has gone into designing and offering special tests for women in the in their midlife. Today, in urban areas like Mumbai, women form a huge part of the work force. They also continue to be the pillars of the family system, juggling childbirth, social familial pressures, job pressures, childrens education, adolescence, their own health problems, and finally, often, an empty-nest-syndrome combined with post menopausal health changes THEY ARE ALSO 20% MORE LIKELY TO HAVE THYROID PROBLEMS.......! This is a suggestion to the Indian Thyroid Association, to designate some month/fortnight etc as a Womens' Thyroid Awareness Period, and investigate the possibilty of using the qualitative test indicated (or similar tests available ), to offer women, a quick overview of their thyroid finction. Those that test positive, can then be asked to consult their family doctors/endos for further treatment. Check out this site for Thyroid Awareness Building Tools ... A huge amount of women currently suffering from depression, hyperlipidemia, menorrhagia, etc etc, may be detected as thyroid-positive, and will be able to get adequate and correct subsequent thyroid treatment, International Womens Day is celebrated in March. What is better than offering a special Thyroid Awareness checkup between January and March /April ? The Indian Thyroid Association and similar organizations will be doing a singular service to women by offering such a program. The utility of this qualitative test for neonatal thyroid testing offers an exciting way to detect developementally compromised new-borns, to whom it would make a lifetime difference of their hypothyroid conditions were detected and treated at an early stage. Is the Indian Pediatric Association listening in ?

It may be coincidental, but recently there has been an announcement from a company called Thyrotec in the US, about a new , cheaper, qualitative thyroid test. What this test really does, is that it offers a quick yes/no categorization of whether your results warrant further thyroid detailed investigation. ThyroTest by ThyroTec, Inc. is a rapid immunoassay, similar to a rapid pregnancy test. By using 2 drops of blood from a finger-stick and 5 drops of diluent, a qualitative TSH level is indicated in minutes. The presence of lines is important, not the intensity No special training required (finger stick only) Easy to use screening test (physicians office, clinic, health fair) Cost effective (75% less than lab, high specificity, sensitivity) Quick results (follow up on the spot) Read results in 10 minutes For Details, see HERE .