Thyroid nodule (TN) and
goiter are two common disorders of the thyroid. Despite their benign nature, both conditions are associated with multiple pathologic conditions including
thyroiditis, endocrine dysregulation, and
autoimmune disease. In this study we conducted a large-scale epidemiological study in Chinese women to identify risk factors implicated in the pathogenesis of TN and
goiter. We analyzed demographic data, medical history, menstrual status, smoking, alcohol consumption, body height, weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). Thyroid ultrasonography was performed for all subjects. Our results showed that age, menstrual status, BMI, waist circumference,
hypertension,
dyslipidemia and
hyperglycemia had a significant relationship with the prevalence of TN and
goiter. There was also a significant association between parity, educational level, smoking, seafood consumption,
salt consumption and TN. Waist-hip ratio, BMI, and
triglyceride had a significant association with both TN and
goiter, and total
cholesterol only correlated with TN. Medical management of
hypertension significantly affected TN prevalence. Our study also demonstrated age to be a strong predictor of TN and
goiter, and
obesity a predictor of the likelihood of developing
goiter. Thus, our study suggests that the female Chinese population with advance age, menopause,
obesity and
metabolic syndrome be examined for TN and
goiter, and those patients with confirmed TN and
goiter be screened for age and
obesity related disorders such as
metabolic syndrome.