Do you know about the thyroid gland? Did you know that more than 300 million people worldwide suffer from thyroid disorders? Did you know that the incidence of thyroid disease in women is 6 to 10 times higher than that in men? To promote awareness of thyroid disorders, Thyroid Federation International (TFI) launched the first ever International Thyroid Awareness Week in 2009, which will be held in the last week of May every year. During the 2010 International Thyroid Week, hundreds of cities across China will hold “Thyroid Health Education Activities in 100 Cities and 100 Hospitals in China”. The city’s downtown hospital will hold a free consultation on thyroid disease in the lobby of its outpatient department on May 2 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Patients with thyroid disease in the city and surrounding areas, or people at high risk of thyroid disease (women over 35 years old and those with at least – one of the subhealth symptoms according to the attached self-assessment form) can participate in the event nearby. The organizers of this event in our city are calling on the government, medical community and society to pay more attention to thyroid disorders, and women over 35 years of age should have regular checkups, and women of childbearing age who are planning to get pregnant should have their thyroid function tested 3 months before conception or pregnancy. The thyroid gland has been described as the “engine of the body”, controlling the metabolic activities of the body and affecting every part of the body. Thyroid disease is the second most common endocrine disorder, with over 40 million primary hypothyroidism and 10 million primary hyperthyroidism patients in China. However, due to the low public awareness of thyroid disease, only about 5% of the tens of millions of people with thyroid disease receive treatment. Long-term untreated thyroid disorders can be quite harmful to the body. Take hypothyroidism as an example: Initially, hypothyroidism can only cause mental fatigue, sleepiness, memory loss, unexplained swelling or weight gain, but if left untreated, the dangers of hypothyroidism can increase further, such as lowered heart rate, dyslipidemia, constipation, many symptoms of depression, and the risk of infertility in women of childbearing age. , organs such as the heart and kidneys can fail due to fluid accumulation, and it can even increase the chance of Alzheimer’s disease. One out of every six women may suffer from hypothyroidism, but because of the insidious initial symptoms, hypothyroid patients often confuse this disease with other diseases, or even fail to go for proper examination and treatment because they are unaware of the existence of this disease, or simply blame these problems on the so-called sub-healthy state. Unbeknownst to us, hypothyroidism is an invisible killer that is stealthily stealing women’s lives every moment, making them depressed, disordered, unable to conceive and give birth normally, but most women are unaware of this. The theme of International Thyroid Week 2010 is “The impact of thyroid disorders on the mental development of pregnant women and children”, which calls for attention to the thyroid health of women and children. If left untreated, hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism during pregnancy can have serious negative effects on the pregnant woman and her offspring. For example, it increases the risk of premature birth and affects the child’s intelligence and bone development. Screening and treatment of congenital hypothyroidism should also be highly focused and strictly implemented. In order to change the current situation of low level of public education and slow development of treatment for thyroid disease, Merck Serono, a global leader in the field of thyroid, invested RMB 20 million in 2008 and cooperated with the Center for International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Health to carry out a three-year “China Thyroid Disease Education Program”. In 2008, Merck Serono invested RMB 20 million in a three-year “Thyroid Disease Education Program in China” with the Center for International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Health. Dr. Sui Cheng, Chairman and General Manager of Merck Serono China, expressed his willingness to continue to support the public education of thyroid knowledge at all levels of government and the medical community in China to improve the diagnosis and treatment rate of thyroid diseases and the level of thyroid health in the whole society. This year’s International Thyroid Week is sponsored by the Chinese Society of Endocrinology and the Chinese Society of Nuclear Medicine, and exclusively supported by the Ministry of Health International Exchange and Cooperation Center – Merck Serono’s “China Thyroid Disease Education Program”.