By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Not many people are aware of a little butterfly-shaped organ below the neck area called the thyroid, but it is an important and fragile part of the body, requiring special care.
According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of thyroid cancer patients in 2007 was 24,295, a 32.3 percent hike from the year before. The increase rate is the largest among all kinds of cancer here.
However, it's not only cancer that worries people. Prof. Cho Bo-youn of Seoul National University Hospital says hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, referring respectively to the over-active and under-active thyroid conditions, are very common, both of which affect the body by producing inappropriate amounts of hormones.
The thyroid is endocrine gland that controls how the body burns up energy, makes proteins and regulates how sensitive the body should be to other hormones. It is also involved in brain and bone development