Endocrine System 2025

A Learner’s Guide to Thyroid Pathologies - Team 5

Media Type: Blog

Summary

The thyroid is a small, but incredibly important gland in the neck that controls the speed at which many of the body systems function via its production of powerful hormones. It impacts your body’s metabolism, energy levels, heart rate, and the way you feel in your daily life. When the thyroid functions go awry it can lead to various thyroid disorders, such as hyperthyroidism (too much hormone production), hypothyroidism (too little hormone), goiters (enlarged thyroid), and thyroid cancers. Each of these disorders is associated with noticeable signs and symptoms including, but not limited to, weight gain, fatigue, trouble swallowing, and changes in voice. This project is a visual and text-based study tool to aid students in organizing the heavy content load when learning about thyroid diseases. It provides a detailed insight into the key learning objectives associated with this sector of pathology, including symptoms, causes, diagnostics, and treatments in a concise blog post format. We chose this format because it’s an effective way to communicate health information to a wider audience in a conversational, student-friendly way. Unlike traditional textbooks, a blog can offer quick, digestible content while still being informative and accurate. It’s also a format that invites curiosity and encourages sharing—whether among classmates, on social media, or in health education settings. The aim of this blog post is not only to help students in courses like Pathology 3500 understand thyroid disorders, but also to raise general awareness about these conditions. Understanding and educating about thyroid pathologies is crucial because they are common, can affect individuals of all ages, and often go underdiagnosed. A clear breakdown of these conditions makes this topic more approachable for those interested in how the thyroid works, and what can happen when it doesn’t.

Keywords: Thyroid Pathology, Endocrine Disorders, Study Guide, Secretory Dysfunctions, Thyroid Cancers, Goiters

Breaking Down Graves’ Disease: A Digital Guide to the Overactive Thyroid - Team 34

Media Type: Magazine

Summary

Graves' disease is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the thyroid gland, causing it to become overactive—a condition known as hyperthyroidism. The body's immune system mistakenly attacks the thyroid, leading to the production of excessive thyroid hormones. This hormonal imbalance can result in symptoms such as weight loss, rapid heartbeat, increased appetite, nervousness, irritability, sweating, heat sensitivity, and changes in menstrual cycles.

A hallmark sign of Graves' disease is Graves' ophthalmopathy, where inflammation and other immune responses affect the muscles and tissues around the eyes, causing symptoms like bulging eyes, irritation, and double vision.
To help students understand this complex topic, we developed an interactive digital "flipbook." Think of it like an engaging, online study guide rather than a static textbook. Users can click through pages, interact with content, and access additional information easily.

We chose this digital flipbook format specifically to make learning more engaging and to empower students to study more independently. The flipbook integrates links to various external study tools, including helpful websites, videos, and even AI-assisted resources that can offer explanations or answer questions. Our goal is to provide a modern, accessible, and effective way for students to learn about important health conditions like Graves' Disease, ultimately increasing their confidence and self-sufficiency in tackling challenging subjects. This approach aims to improve how complex medical information is taught and learned.

We chose this topic because diabetes is a disease that is becoming increasingly prevalent and is an important diagnosis to understand. Because there are two types of diabetes and type 2 is much more prevalent, we wanted to give the students the ability to differentiate between the two. We also wanted to provide students with the background to go through the process of diagnosis and what kinds of questions they should be asking and what to do with that information. It is also something someone can do without understanding medical terminology because it provides background information at each step. We hope it could be used for people who also do not have any background in medicine to teach them about the effects of diabetes.

Keywords: Hyperthyroidism, Graves’ Disease, Goiter, Autoimmune, Endocrinology