Mapping global epidemiology of thyroid nodules among general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

IntroductionAn emerging public health issue is brought on by the worldwide increase of thyroid nodules (TNs). The goal of the current study is to determine the global prevalence of TNs among the general population.MethodsWe screened articles published from January 2000 to May 2022. TN prevalence was calculated with the DerSimonian–Laird random effects model with arcsine transformation.ResultsA total of 20,358 entries were found in our research, and 102 of them met our inclusion criteria. A total of 9,276,178 individuals have been diagnosed as TNs; the overall prevalence was 24.83% (95% CI 21.44–28.55), regardless of the diagnostic techniques. TNs have become more prevalent during 2012–2022 (29.29%) compared with 2000–2011 (21.53%, p = 0.02). In addition, we discovered that women (36.51%) were more likely to have TNs than men (23.47%, p < 0.01). Interestingly, we found that obesity was correlated with the prevalence of TNs. Additionally, age-specific-stratified TN prevalence was found in our results.DiscussionThis meta-analysis shows that, regardless of country development and economic status, TNs are spreading more widely over the world. Our findings showed a strong correlation between rising TN prevalence and older age, female sex, and elevated weight. To stop the TN epidemic from spreading over the world, increased awareness, the understanding of the disease, and quick action are required.

Correlates of thyroid nodules in patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

“…Strong evidences demonstrate that female and age are highly related to TNs [4,[10][11][12][13]. Our results also supported the conclusion that the percentage of female was signi cantly increased in TNs group.…”

An anthropomorphic thyroid phantom for ultrasound‐guided radiofrequency ablation of nodules

“…The thermal conductivity k [W/(m⋅K)] is given by Eq. 4, as defined by Cooper and Trezek 32 k = 0.0502 + 0.00577 × w (4) with w the water content, based on the phantom recipe (specified in Table 1). The specific heat capacity c p [J/(kg⋅K)], Eq.…”

“…Thyroid nodules are tumors in the thyroid parenchyma, which are often radiologically distinguishable 1 . Nodules can be found in up to 67% of the adult population, 2,3 and the prevalence appears to be increasing, from 21.53% to 29.29% in the last decade 4 . In 90−95% of the cases, the nodules are found to be benign 5 .…”

Editorial: Advances of imaging techniques in identifying malignancy in thyroid nodules

“…It was estimated that over 586,000 people were diagnosed with TNs in 2020 (2). TNs have been identified more frequently in recent years due to increased sensitivity in imaging techniques (3). TNs patients are diagnosed by history taking and physical examination, ultrasonography, Thyroid -stimulating hormone (TSH) serum measurement, fine needle aspiration, and scintigraphy (4).…”