Innovative Trials are passionate about ensuring our diverse population is adequately represented within medical research. Whether it is wanting to see more people from underrepresented communities choosing science as a career and pushing for greater patient diversity in clinical trials or focusing on what we are doing internally to celebrate and promote equality and diversity, this month we celebrate World Thyroid Day 2025. So far the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at Innovative Trials has written blogs to raise awareness surrounding several illnesses, their effects, and treatments such as World Lupus Day, Malaria, Pride Month, Endometriosis, Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, Parent Mental Health Day, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, International Childhood Cancer Day , Sickle Cell and Rare Diseases, Multiple Myeloma Action Month and Ramadan & Eid-ul-Fitr 2025.

World Thyroid Day 2025 was celebrated on Sunday 25th May 2025, to raise awareness for thyroid health and educate people on thyroid diseases. The thyroid is a small gland at the front of the neck, which produces and releases hormones that are essential for organ systems in the body to function. Thyroid disorders are a prominent health concern affecting about 20 million people in the US. However, an estimated 60% of these people are unaware of their thyroid disorder, as the symptoms are often similar to those of other conditions (American Thyroid Association, 2024).  Thyroid disorders are also more common in women than in men. In fact, 1 in 8 women will develop some sort of thyroid disorder in their lifetime (American Thyroid Association, 2024). More research is therefore required to better diagnose thyroid disorders, and to understand what may cause them. 

Types of Thyroid Disorders

There are several different types of thyroid disorder, with the main four being (Cleveland Clinic, 2025):

  • Hypothyroidism – the gland doesn’t produce enough hormones (an underactive thyroid). Symptoms include fatigue, depression, forgetfulness, weight gain, and feeling cold.
  • Hyperthyroidism – the gland produces too many hormones (an overactive thyroid). Symptoms include irritability, nervousness, muscle weakness, weight loss, trouble sleeping, and feeling too warm.
  • Goiter – either the gland grows larger, or the gland develops small lumps called thyroid nodules. Symptoms include a lump at the front of the neck, tightness in the throat, hoarseness, and neck vein swelling. 
  • Thyroid cancer – most thyroid nodules that form on the thyroid are benign (not cancer), however, about 3 in 20 are malignant (cancer). Symptoms include difficulty breathing/swallowing, hoarseness, and swollen lymph nodes. 

Causes of Thyroid Disorders

Some of the potential causes of thyroid disorders include (Cleveland Clinic, 2025):

  • Autoimmune diseases. This is where the immune system mistakenly attacks thyroid cells, causing the thyroid gland to become underactive or overactive: 
    • Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes an underactive thyroid
    • Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes an overactive thyroid
  • Iodine levels. Since iodine is used to make certain thyroid hormones, lower iodine consumption may result in an underactive thyroid and higher iodine consumption may result in an overactive thyroid.
  • Thyroiditis. This is when the thyroid becomes inflamed, and can either cause the thyroid gland to become underactive or overactive. 

What are the Risk Factors for Thyroid Disorders?

Here are some factors that may increase a person’s risk of developing a thyroid disorder (Cleveland Clinic, 2025):

  • Gender: are born female
  • Age: are older than 60 years
  • Previous treatments: medications high in iodine or radiation therapy to head area
  • Other conditions: have other autoimmune diseases (eg, Type 1 Diabetes)
  • Area: live where table salt is not iodized, which may lead to iodine deficiency

How are Thyroid Disorders Diagnosed?

Thyroid disorders are diagnosed by either (ENT Clinic Sydney, 2024):

  • Blood Test
  • Thyroid Scan                 
  • Thyroid Ultrasound
  • Thyroid Biopsy

Barriers to Clinical Trial Recruitment

  • As thyroid disorders affect more women than men, consider placing recruitment materials in locations most commonly frequented by women: hairdressers, nail salons, female bathrooms, etc. 
  • Ensure that those affected by Graves’ disease resonate with the images on the materials: predominantly women of Black and Asian ethnicities, some with various degrees of hair loss, etc. 

Treatment Landscape

Here are the common treatments for hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism (Mayo Clinic, 2024):

 

References