Events & Dates
World Thyroid Day 2025
25.05.2025
Activities in Europe
Belgium
63rd Belgian Thyroid Club Symposium
24.05.2025 - Paleis der Academiën/Palais des Académies, Brussels, Belgium
https://thyroidclub.org/program-may-2025/
Organised by the Belgian Thyroid Club
Germany
Schilddrüse im Fokus - Thyroid in Focus (Thyroid Information Day)
24.05.2025 -Waldkrankenhaus, Bonn, Germany
https://www.
Organised by the German Thyroid Association (Schilddrüsenliga e.V.)
Greece
Awareness Event in Greece
25.05.2025 - Historic Hall of the Commercial & Importers Association of Patras, Greece
https://endo.gr/event/world-thyroid-day/
Organised by the Thyroid Scientific Section of the Hellenic Endocrinology Society
Italy
World Thyroid Week 2025: “Thyroid and Artificial Intelligence”
Patients' Questions, ChatGPT's Answers, and Specialists' Commentary
Common Initiative of the: Associazione Italiana della Tiroide, Società Italiana di Endocrinologia, Società Italiana di Endocrinologia e Diabetologia Pediatrica, Società Italiana di Geriatria, Associazione Medici Endocrinologi, Comitato delle Associazioni dei Pazienti Endocrini, Associazione Italiana di Medicina Nucleare, Società Italiana Unitaria di Endocrinochirurgia
Portugal
Spring Meeting of the Thyroid Study Group - Reunião de Primavera do Grupo de Estudo da Tiroide
30.05.2025 - Hotel D. Luís, Coimbra, Portugal
https://www.admedic.pt/eventos/reuniao-de-primavera-do-grupo-de-estudo-da-tiroide-------.html
Organised by the Thyroid Study Group (Grupo de Estudo da Tiroide)
under the auspices of the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (SPEDM)
United Kingdom
British Thyroid Association Annual Meeting
09.05.2025 - Royal College of Pathologists, London, UK
https://www.btf-thyroid.org/event/bta-meeting-2025
Organised by the British Thyroid Association
The theme of the WTD 2025 is "Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)".
The 25th of May is World Thyroid Day (WTD). It was introduced by the European Thyroid Association (ETA) in 2008 and has been commemorated annually by all sister Associations: the American Thyroid Association (ATA), the Latin Thyroid Association (LATS), and the Asian Oceanic Thyroid Association (AOTA).
The Day forms part of International Thyroid Awareness Week, promoted and supported by the global, non-profit network of patient organizations known as Thyroid Federation International (TFI).
WTD acknowledges the commitment of the thyroid community—clinicians, researchers, teachers, and nurses—to increasing understanding of this gland, its diseases, and its treatment and reaffirms our dedication to our patients. A prime goal of the celebration of this particular Day is to increase awareness among the public and to educate people about the importance of the thyroid gland for health and well-being across the lifespan. During this week, in many parts of the world, campaigns take place centered on target groups, these being children, women, pregnant women, and the elderly, who are the most susceptible to thyroid disease.
This year, for the second consecutive time, WTD will also be focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases. NCDs affect people of all ages, regions, and countries. The main types of NCDs include cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming 18 million lives annually. Together, these four categories of diseases account for over 80% of all premature NCD-related deaths.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases
Five modifiable risk factors, along with the social determinants of health, have been identified by the WHO for NCDs, namely, arterial hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use. However, thyroid disease, particularly autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism, while strongly correlated with these risk factors, has not as yet been classified by the WHO as an NCD. Both conditions are common chronic diseases affecting about 5% of the world population, with an additional 5% remaining undiagnosed. The clinical, social, and economic burden is disproportionately heavy.
Thus, a vital message that WTD is sending out once again this year is an appeal to the WHO, all European and global authorities, industry stakeholders, and dedicated colleagues to raise awareness about thyroid disease as a significant, non-transmissible public health problem and, hence, an NCD. As such, we advocate for policies that specifically address NCDs, including thyroid check-ups, possibly via measurement of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in vulnerable populations and the implementation of neonatal TSH screening in countries where such testing is still unavailable.
Let us All Commemorate World Thyroid Day!
Leonidas Duntas
On behalf of the ETA Public Health Board