Thyroid testing planned

Monday, May 12, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

To see three-time Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers in action, no one would guess she has to battle a small gland in her throat as well as her competitors on the track.

Devers, along with an estimated 13 million others, suffers from thyroid disease.

Teaming with the American Medical Women's Association, Devers is set to appear from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Boulevard Mall for a free blood screening to check for thyroid disorders.

The theme of the national campaign is "Your Thyroid: Gland Central." That's because more than half the suspected thyroid cases are undiagnosed.

"The thyroid hormone influences essentially every organ, tissue and cell in the body," said Dr. Stacie Rivers, a Las Vegas obstetrician/gynecologist at Valley Hospital Medical Center and Summerlin Medical Center.

Rivers, also a member of the 13,000-member AMWA, said undetected and untreated thyroid disease can cause high cholesterol levels, long-term organ complications and may lead to irregular menstrual cycles, infertility and worsening osteoporosis.

The national tour, launched in New York City in October, alerts women about the thyroid's central role in regulating the body, helps them recognize early signs and symptoms, identifies high-risk groups and encourages them to get the simple test.

"Thyroid disease could have cost me my dreams if I had let it go undetected," Devers said. "Looking back, I was exhausted all the time and my body felt like it was out of control, but now with treatment I feel perfectly fine."

Thyroid disorders can be difficult to detect. There are two types. Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroids, is the most common form. Hyperthyroidism, overactive thyroids, often remains undiagnosed because symptoms mimic other natural processes, such as aging, menopause or stress.

After the "Gland Central" tour leaves Las Vegas, it will continue to 12 other cities during 1997.

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