Meeting of the Parliament 04 December 2018
I thank Sandra Whyte for highlighting the importance of thyroid-related conditions and for working so hard to get us to this point. I also thank Elaine Smith MSP for her hard work and for bringing her story to Parliament. Consideration of the petition has spanned nearly six years. In that time, a significant range and volume of evidence has been gathered, by way of submissions and oral evidence to the committee. I thank those who have made such valuable contributions.
According to the NHS website, thyroid underactivity in the UK affects 15 in every 1,000 women and one in 1,000 men. Although most sufferers are diagnosed effectively, many people live with the mental and physical problems that arise from being undiagnosed. Back in December 2012, petition PE1463 called on Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to take action to ensure that GPs and endocrinologists are able to diagnose thyroid and adrenal disorders accurately, and to provide the most appropriate treatment. Many years later, we are still learning of people who live with thyroid conditions and are still negatively impacted daily.
This morning, I spoke to a friend from my constituency who is a GP who told me how hard it is to diagnose thyroid conditions because they can mimic other conditions. The petition highlighted four main concerns about the need for tests for free T3 and reverse T3 thyroid hormones; for medical professionals to acknowledge the existence of adrenal insufficiency; and for the adrenal stress index test to be incorporated in NHS thyroid-testing procedures. There are lots of big words to use today. I am eating my own tongue trying to say them so I apologise for that.
Moreover, the petition called on medical professionals to acknowledge and take account of variations in individual biochemistry and to tailor treatment accordingly. We have heard a lot of members speak about that. Treatment might consist primarily of T4 only, T4/T3, T3 only or natural desiccated thyroid. The petition raised concerns that NHS procedures do not include testing of autoimmune status, minerals, enzymes or vitamins.
I will speak about the experiences of people with thyroid conditions. People live day in and day out with thyroid conditions. Their experiences of living with them range from weight gain to lethargy and depression. I am grateful to all the brave people who contributed to the committee’s evidence sessions by telling their stories.
In The Daily Telegraph yesterday, I read about a remarkable woman, Fiona McGowan, who lives with hypothyroidism. She realised that she was putting on weight and blamed her mother’s death, despite living a very healthy and active lifestyle. Eventually, a nutritionist realised that she had an endocrine issue. Although she then obtained the correct medicine to help to treat her condition, the price of her medication became an issue. People self-medicate and purchase medicines on the internet from other countries, due to high costs and lack of availability in this country.
We know from today’s speeches and from accounts of people with thyroid conditions that the problems have significant impacts on peoples’ lives. Elaine Smith’s suggestion that the Health and Sport Committee conduct an inquiry and take evidence from such people is a great idea.
Although the majority of patients with thyroid conditions are diagnosed and treated successfully, that is not the case for a proportion of patients. Members must support them, and the Scottish Government must take note of the issues. A review is needed into how professionals deal with thyroid conditions, whether through guidelines that are developed by independent experts, including health authorities and clinical bodies, or through peer-reviewed research on patient treatment.
Although I acknowledge that the licensing of medication is reserved, better dialogue would be beneficial in ensuring that T3 supply issues are dealt with in order to avoid increases in the cost of medicines, which ultimately lead to people making internet purchases. I look forward to the Scottish Government supporting sufferers, and I again thank everybody who contributed.
15:10