Aggressive case finding: a clinical strategy for the documentation of thyroid dysfunction.

Abstract

Ideas and Opinions18 August 2015Aggressive Case Finding: A Clinical Strategy for the Documentation of Thyroid DysfunctionJames V. Hennessey, MD, Irwin Klein, MD, Kenneth A. Woeber, MD, Rhoda Cobin, MD, and Jeffrey R. Garber, MDJames V. Hennessey, MDFrom Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts; New York University School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; University of California, San Francisco Medical School, San Francisco, California; and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Taskforce, Jacksonville, Florida.Search for more papers by this author, Irwin Klein, MDFrom Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts; New York University School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; University of California, San Francisco Medical School, San Francisco, California; and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Taskforce, Jacksonville, Florida.Search for more papers by this author, Kenneth A. Woeber, MDFrom Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts; New York University School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; University of California, San Francisco Medical School, San Francisco, California; and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Taskforce, Jacksonville, Florida.Search for more papers by this author, Rhoda Cobin, MDFrom Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts; New York University School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; University of California, San Francisco Medical School, San Francisco, California; and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Taskforce, Jacksonville, Florida.Search for more papers by this author, and Jeffrey R. Garber, MDFrom Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Boston, Massachusetts; New York University School of Medicine and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; University of California, San Francisco Medical School, San Francisco, California; and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Thyroid Scientific Taskforce, Jacksonville, Florida.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M15-0762 Annals Author Insight Video - James V. Hennessey, MD In this video, James V. Hennessey, MD, offers additional insight into his Ideas and Opinions piece, "Aggressive Case Finding: A Clinical Strategy for the Documentation of Thyroid Dysfunction." SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Thyroid dysfunction is common, is readily diagnosed, and is treated in a cost-effective manner. Recently, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force did not recommend screening for thyroid dysfunction in nonpregnant adults because of a lack of evidence that screening of asymptomatic patients affects clinical outcomes (1, 2). In contrast, over the last decade, 7 professional organizations, including the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American Thyroid Association, and Latin American Thyroid Society, have given guidance on how and when to use thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) testing for the millions of Americans with undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction (Table) (3, 4).Table 1.Recommendations of 8 ...