PHOTO COURTESY OF JODI ANN DEFRANCO
Team members from Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge wore pink with teal and purple clothes on Jan. 12 in recognition of Thyroid Awareness Month.
The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the base of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. Although relatively small, the thyroid gland plays a huge role in our body, influencing the function of many of the body’s most important organs, including the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and skin.
Thyroid disease is more common than diabetes or heart disease and is a fact of life for as many as 30 million Americans, more than half of those people remain undiagnosed. Women are five times more likely than men to suffer from hypothyroidism (when the gland is not producing enough thyroid hormone). Aging is just one risk factor for hypothyroidism.
The Joslin Diabetes Center, Affiliate at Raritan Bay-Old Bridge, provides care for thyroid diseases, including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, thyroid cancer and more.
For more information, call 732-360-4070 or visit www.rbmc.org/joslin-diabetes-center.
