This 5-minute report is dedicated to Thyroid Disease.
In the following 5 minutes you’ll learn:
- Introduction: Why This Matters
- Trends: What Opportunities Are There?
- Innovators: Who’s Driving Change?
So let’s dive right in!
Introduction: Why This Matters
The thyroid is an endocrine gland located at the front of the neck that stimulates hormones, which help regulate the metabolism of the body. When the thyroid gland produces too many or not enough thyroid hormones, a thyroid disorder like hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is diagnosed.
Thyroid diseases can be difficult to diagnose at times as they share symptoms with a number of other conditions. The diagnostic process can involve blood tests, imaging and physical exams. Causes for a Thyroid disorder can be varied and include Thyroidities, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Postpartum thyroiditis, Iodine Deficiency, a non-functioning thyroid gland, Graves disease or overactive nodules in the thyroid.
Symptoms differ depending on whether a patient has an over- or underactive thyroid. Those with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) may experience anxiety, insomnia, weight loss, enlarged thyroid, muscle weakness, irregular menstruation or heat sensitivity. An underactive thyroid can lead to fatigue, weight gain, frequent or heavy menstruation, coarse hair or sensitivity to cold temperatures.
A functioning thyroid is important for a women’s reproductive system and can affect her health and wellbeing throughout her life.
- Thyroid disorders can cause puberty and menstruation to occur abnormally early or late.
- During a woman’s reproductive years, an over- or underactive thyroid may affect or prevent ovulation.
- Thyroid disorders during pregnancy can negatively affect the fetus and can lead to postpartum thyroiditis. A thyroid hormone deficiency can cause miscarriage, preterm birth, or postpartum hemorrhage.
- Thyroid disorder can lead to early menopause.
The goal of thyroid treatments is generally to help a patient restore normal thyroid hormone levels. Hyperthyroidism can be treated using anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, beta blockers, or surgery. Hypothyroidism patients are usually given thyroid replacement medication.
Trends: What Opportunities Are There?
The big opportunities in this largely untapped space are unsurprisingly in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disorders. New drug development (treatment) and medical devices (thyroid surgery) also have a role to play.
- Diagnostics. As mentioned earlier thyroid disorders can be difficult to diagnose, which has led to innovation using AI or new biomarkers for better and faster diagnosis.
- Management. A number of new digital health platform has also emerged to help those with thyroid disorders better manage the condition and balance thyroid hormones.
- Treatment. The goal for innovators in this space is the development of better medication and less invasive surgery.
Innovators: Who’s Driving Change?
Paloma Health is a virtual clinic that allows hypothyroidpatients to get prescriptions and care from thyroid specialists.
Boost Health has developed a thyroid tracker, that monitors 20 symptoms related to body, mind, lifestyle medications and supplements.
Hashiona is a symptom tracker with the goal to quiet thyroid disease symptoms and improve test results through its proprietary remission program.
Jeevam Health is a virtual clinic that allows those with thyroid disorders to treat their symptoms with the help of doctors and coaches.
Thyroid HQ is using AI to drive health outcomes for those with hyperthyroidism.
ThyforLife is a thyroid app that lets users tracke blood test results, medications, and symptoms.
GeneProDx uses precision medicine in the diagnosis of patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules.
MedoAI uses artificial intelligence to radically simplify the classification of thyroid nodules.
