December 2008, Vol 30, No. 4
Internet

What’s in the web for family physicians – thyroid disease and pregnancy

Alfred KY Tang 鄧權恩

1. National Endocrineand Metabolic Diseases Information Service
http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/ pregnancy/

Comprehensive information on hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in pregnancy, as well as postpartum thyroiditis are included at the website. The National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service is an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

2. Practice Guideline : Management of Thyroid Dysfunction during Pregnancy and Postpartum
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/ 92/8_suppl/s1

The practice guideline , based on reviews of published and peer-reviewed literature of the last two de cades, was published by the Endocrine Society with the objective of providing clinical guidelines for physicians on the management of thyroid problems presenting during pregnancy and in the postpartum. The guideline was published by the Endocrine Society in 2007. There is another publication on Postpartum Thyroiditis which can be located at http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/87/9/4042.

3. Thyroid Foundation of Canada
http://www.thyroid.ca/Articles/EngE11A.html

Abundant in formation on thyroid disease and pregnancy are provided at the website of the Thyroid Foundation of Canada. It is a non-profit registered volunteer organization whose mission is to support thyroid patients across Canada through awareness, education, and research.

4. Endocrine Web
http://www.endocrineweb.com/pregnancy.html

Symptoms and treatments for thyroid conditions occurring during and after pregnancy. Claimed to be the largest website for Thyroid, Parathyroid and other Endocrine Disorders, it hosts over 150 detailed but easy to read pages on end ocrine disease, conditions, hormonal problems , and treatment options including all types of thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal surgery. This information is intended for the education of patients and their families.

5. Webcast: Impact of Maternal Thyroid Status on Pregnancy
http://blueskybroadcast.com/Client/ATA_4.2.04

This is a series of lectures on thyroid disease and pregnancy presented in a seminar sponsored by John Hopkins University in conjunction with the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in 2004. The website of ATA (http://next.thyroid.org) is also a very resourceful website on thyroid problems. Information on thyroid disease and pregnancy includes patient brochures (http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Thyroid_Dis_Pregnancy_broch.pdf), FAQ (http://www.thyroid.org/patients/faqs/ pregnancy.html) as well as webcast materials on different topics of thyroid disease. (http://www.thyroid.org/professionals/education/video_broadcasts.html).

6. Thyroid Dysfunction in the Pregnant Patient
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter14/14-frame.htm

Thyroid Disease Manager functions like an online textbook on human thyroid disease and thyroid physiology. The content targets physicians and researchers around the world with a free, and downloadable resource on thyroid problems. A whole chapter of the website is dedicated to thyroid disease and pregnancy. The chapter can be downloaded free in the form of PDF or WORD format.

7. Autoimmune Thyroid Disease and Pregnancy
http://www.emedicine.com/med/TOPIC3261.HTM

eMedicine.com has also a chapter dedicated to thyroid disease and pregnancy, wi th in-dep th coverage of this medical problem in pregnancy. It provides sufficient background information , clinical features, medical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis.


Alfred KY Tang, MBBS (HK), MFM (Monash)
Family Physician in Private Practice

Correspondence to: Dr Alfred KY Tang, Shop 3A, 2/F, Hsin Kuang Shopping Centre, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.

E-mail: alfredtang@hkma.org