When the Medicare program was established in 1965, it was viewed as a form of financial protection for the elderly against catastrophic medical expenses, primarily those related to hospitalization for unexpected illnesses. The first expansions to the program increased the eligible population from the retired to the disabled and to persons receiving chronic renal dialysis. It was not until 1980 that an expansion of services beyond those required "for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member" was included in Medicare. These services, known as preventive services, are intended either to prevent disease (by vaccination) or to detect disease (by diagnostic test) before the symptoms of illness appear. A Committee was formed "to conduct a study on the addition of coverage of routine thyroid screening using a thyroid stimulating hormone test as a preventive benefit provided to Medicare beneficiaries under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act for some or all Medicare beneficiaries."

The significant progress in the understanding of the pathogenesis and the treatment of Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) has warranted a second edition of this book within three years of the first. Now also fully incorporated is the EUGOGO consensus statement on management of GO, which since has been accepted worldwide as a useful guideline. Furthermore all chapters have been thoroughly updated. Subjects covered include the pathology of GO and the controversial views on its pathogenesis; assessment of changes using reliable measuring techniques; medical management of GO including established and alternative treatment options; technical explanations and illustrations of various surgical procedures and finally, the molecular, immunologic, and clinical aspects of this complex disorder. Two new chapters have been added: one describing the socioeconomic impact of the disease and the other outlining the Amsterdam Declaration on Graves’ Orbitopathy. The successful question-and-answer format facilitates its use as a reference guide for medical practitioners and surgeons working in the fields of ophthalmology, internal medicine, endocrinology, pediatrics, immunology, as well as otorhinolaryngology.

In 1956, three groups independently reported evidence that some thyroid disease appearing spontaneously in humans or experimentally induced in animals are related to autoimmune processes. The interval between these landmark discoveries and the present has witnessed a remarkable and continuing growth of both knowledge and concepts concerning the mechanisms of immune regulation, the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases, and their clinical and laboratory manifestations. More importantly knowledge of thyroid autoimmunity has, in many respects, comprised the vanguard of an ever increasing appreciation and understanding of autoimmune diseases in general. On November 24-26 1986, an International Symposium on Thyroid Autoimmunity was held in Pisa. Its purpose was to commemorate the birth of thyroid autoimmunity as a scientific discipline, to summarize current knowledge and concepts in this area, and where possible, to anticipate areas of opportunity for the future - hence the theme of the Symposium, Memories and Perspectives. To open the meeting, the Magnifico Rettore (Chancellor) of the University of Pisa granted special Awards to Dr. Deborah Doniach, Dr. Ivan Roitt, and Dr. Noel R. Rose, who published the first fundamental studies in the field of thyroid autoimmunity, and to Dr. Duncan G. Adams, whose discovery of the long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) opened the door to our current understanding of the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. During the meeting thirty plenary lectures were presented.

According to the Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee (ADCC), between 14.7 and 23.5 million people in the USA – up to eight percent of the population are affected by autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are a family of more than 100 chronic, and often disabling, illnesses that develop when underlying defects in the immune system lead the body to attack its own organs, tissues, and cells. In Handbook of Autoimmune Disease, the editors have gathered in a comprehensive handbook a critical review, by renowned experts, of more than 100 autoimmune diseases, divided into two main groups, namely systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases. A contemporary overview of these conditions with special emphasis on diagnosis is presented. Each chapter contains the essential information required by attending physicians as well as bench scientists to understand the definition of a specific autoimmune disease, the diagnostic criteria, and the treatment.

Clinical Management of Thyroid Disease is an exciting new book edited by Fredric Wondisford, MD—developer of the revolutionary new drug, Thyrotropin—and Sally Radovick, MD, with contributions from experts in the field. It fulfills the niche of a succinct, clinical resource to help you translate research into practice. This full-color volume offers valuable information on thyroid cancer and non-cancerous lesions, the effect of drugs on thyroid function, genetic disorders, and more in an accessible, easy-to-read consistent format. Presents the expertise of authors and editorial staff comprised of leaders in the field of thyroid research and clinical management for the best-qualified guidance on diagnosis and treatment. Provides a full-color, comprehensive approach that makes valuable information easy to locate and quick to read. Covers relevant topics applicable to all levels of training and expertise to serve as a detailed clinical reference on everything from the basic to the sophisticated. Captures research advances on hot topics such as thyroid cancer and non-cancerous lesions, the effect of drugs on thyroid function, and genetic disorders so that you can incorporate them into the way you treat patients.

Osansky discusses a natural treatment solution to get to the underlying cause of hyperthyroidism and Graves' Disease and to restore health naturally without use of radioactive iodine.

The Mosaic of Autoimmunity: The Novel Factors of Autoimmune Diseases describes the multifactorial origin and diversity of expression of autoimmune diseases in humans. The term implies that different combinations of factors in autoimmunity produce varying and unique clinical pictures in a wide spectrum of autoimmune diseases. Most of the factors involved in autoimmunity can be categorized into four groups: genetic, immune defects, hormonal and environmental factors. In this book, the environmental factors are reviewed, including infectious agents, vaccines as triggers of autoimmunity, smoking and its relationship with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases. An entirely new syndrome, the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA), is also included, along with other diseases that are now recognized as having an autoimmune etiopathogenesis.