Blog Archives

Julie Anne Gabat-Tan, MD

Julie Anne Gabat-Tan, MD image

I specializes in the diseases of the pituitary gland, thyroid, adrenal gland and pancreas and bone metabolism. I treat diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus, Goiters, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, osteoporosis and disorders pertaining to the reproductive glands.

Nutrition in Pregnancy

Nutrition in Pregnancy image

Pregnancy is a fascinating time in a woman’s life. But not all realize that even before the confirmation of a pregnancy, the body has already started to undergo significant changes due to the changing hormone profile to accommodate the growing embryo. This may entail the need to improve one’s diet to be able to cope up with the requirements of the developing fetus and the changes in the maternal body processes. The caloric requirement of pregnant women increases by about 300 kilocalories per day. This includes an adequate amount of macronutrients as well as micronutrients. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins and » » » [Read more]

Thyroid Disease In Children

Thyrotoxicosis or hyperthyroidism is relatively rare in children. According to reports, the yearly incidence is 8 per 1 million children who are younger than 15 years old and 1 per 1 million in children younger than 4 years old. Among these patients, Graves’ Disease is the most common cause. It is noted that girls are affected five times more than boys. A family history of hyperthyroidism should be sought because many have a positive family history of autoimmune thyroid diseases. A clinical profile includes several month records of progressive symptoms, of which, the most common are often behavioral disturbances such » » » [Read more]

Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Autoimmune thyroid disease entails some sort of dysfunction from the body’s defense mechanism, in which the body does not distinguish its own organs and tissues, and rejects them, triggering inflammation and sometimes destruction. It can manifest either as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). The main types of autoimmune thyroid disease are focal thyroiditis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, atrophic thyroiditis, silent thyroiditis, postpartum thyroiditis and Graves’ disease. Focal thyroiditis may not present with a goiter and blood examination will show normal or sub-clinical hypothyroidism. Sub-clinical hypothyroidism means that the thyroid stimulating hormone level is high which reflects an underactive thyroid but » » » [Read more]

Underactive Thyroid

Underactive Thyroid image

The condition of having an underactive thyroid is called hypothyroidism. This is a state of thyroid hormone deficiency or lack of thyroid hormones. It may be caused by an abnormality in the thyroid gland itself which is called primary hypothyroidism or by an insufficient level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) causing under stimulation of the thyroid gland resulting to low thyroid hormone production. Underactive Thyroid Symptoms Signs and symptoms of thyroid hormone deficiency reflect the need for thyroid hormones in metabolism and its effect on all organs. Patients present with thickened features and puffy appearance. Swelling around the eyes and » » » [Read more]

Thyroid Problems

The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland located in the neck in front of the windpipe. The normal size is about 12-20grams with an abundant blood supply. The thyroid gland produces two hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which is consistently regulated by negative feedback to the brain specifically by thyroid stimulating hormone from the anterior pituitary and thyrotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. Excess or deficiency of these hormones is the underlying problem in thyroid diseases. Iodine is a critical component in the production of thyroid hormones by the body. The thyroid gland obtains iodine from the blood. The blood » » » [Read more]