Information for Patients

The BTA regrets that it is not able to respond to individual medical questions. These should be directed to your family doctor or specialist or to the British Thyroid Foundation

Interpretation of Thyroid Function Tests
Currently the BTA does not hold the view that treatment for thyroid disease, either under- or over-active, should be commenced if patients have thyroid function test results within the normal laboratory reference range.

The joint British Thyroid Association and Society for Endocrinology statement (April 2006) regarding the appropriate management of thyroid disease is here.

For more detailed information regarding this, please refer to the UK guidelines for the use of thyroid function tests (July 2006) which is available to download.

Management of Hypothyroidism
The BTA executive has prepared a patient information sheet on hypothyroidism (April 2007) and this can be found here.

The BTA's statement (February 2007) on use of Armour and combined T4 and T3 is available to download.

Management of Hyperthyroidism
The BTA executive has prepared a patient information sheet on hyperthyroidism (July 2007) and this can be found here.

Radioiodine for Benign Thyroid Disease
The updated Radioiodine guidelines (2007, previous version 1995) are available from a link to the RCP website: http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/pubs/brochure.aspx?e=208

Thyroid surgery
Information for patients undergoing thyroid surgery has been prepared by the BTA and BTF.
In the meantine it can be read on screen by clicking here.
Or you can download a printable version (318kb)

Thyroid Eye Disease
Information for patients with thyroid eye disease has been prepared by the TED association
Thyroid Eye Disease

Pregnancy
Information for patients with underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) who are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant

Thyroid cancer
The second edition (2007) of the thyroid cancer guidelines is available from the guidelines page. The patient information section has been updated and is available to download. This includes sections on

1. The thyroid gland and thyroid cancer
2. Thyroid surgery for cancer
3. Radioactive iodine ablation and therapy

Links to other sites with useful information for patients

Other sites recommended by the BTA are shown in the links section.