Relationship between metabolic syndrome and thyroid nodules in healthy Koreans

Abstract

Background/Aims:This study evaluated the relationship between thyroid nodules and metabolic syndrome (MS) and its components in apparently healthy Koreans.Methods:We reviewed the records of 3,298 subjects with no noticeable symptoms who underwent thyroid ultrasound imaging as part of a routine check-up between July 2009 and June 2010; of these, 1,308 were excluded based upon predefined criteria. Among the remaining 1,990 patients, we examined the association between MS and its components and the incidence of thyroid nodules.Results:Of the 1,990 subjects included in this study, 38.4% (n = 764) had thyroid nodules and 12.7% (n = 253) had MS. Female sex, older age, higher body mass index, larger waist circumference, higher glycated hemoglobin level, lower thyroid stimulating hormone level, and presence of MS were all closely related with the presence of thyroid nodules (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, the relevant number of MS components showed a positive linear correlation with the occurrence of thyroid nodules (p < 0.001). Evidence of MS alone was not independently associated with thyroid nodules after adjusting for sex and age in a multivariate binary logistic regression analysis; however, glycated hemoglobin for females and waist circumference for males, as well as both age and thyroid stimulating hormone for all patients, were identified as independent predictors for the existence of thyroid nodules (all p < 0.05).Conclusions:This study suggests a positive relationship between the components of MS and thyroid nodules in an ostensibly healthy Korean population. Our data support the idea that the recent increase in thyroid nodules is partly due to increases in both MS and obesity.

Associations of adiposity measurements with thyroid nodules in Chinese children living in iodine-sufficient areas: an observational study

“… 43 Large BMI was associated with nodule growth among older patients with multiple nodules and larger dominant nodules. 17 A study conducted by Shin et al linked thyroid nodular disease to WC for males and glycated haemoglobin for females, 44 suggesting potential sex disparity. The presence of insulin resistance was associated with larger thyroid gland volume and an increased prevalence of TNs, 45 46 which might be explained by obesity-related subclinical inflammation and an associated increase in levels of insulin-like growth factor-1.…”

“… 11–15 The recent increase in TNs and thyroid cancer may partly be due to the epidemic of obesity. 9 16 17 Elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and declined free thyroxin (FT4) levels have been observed in obese patients. 16 However, previous studies of the associations between obesity and thyroid were mainly conducted in adults, and the results were not entirely consistent.…”

Association of thyroid nodules with adiposity: a community-based cross-sectional study in China

“…Although most thyroid nodules are benign, detecting them early is important because there is always risk that the nodules may be cancerous [ 1 ]. Several factors have been associated with the formation of thyroid nodules, including gender [ 2 – 4 ], age [ 2 – 9 ], thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) [ 9 ], and iodine intake [ 10 , 11 ]. Numerous studies have also associated thyroid nodules with adiposity [ 3 – 5 , 8 , 9 , 12 – 14 ], which is traditionally evaluated based on body mass index (BMI).…”

Gender Disparity in the Relationship between Prevalence of Thyroid Nodules and Metabolic Syndrome Components: The SHDC-CDPC Community-Based Study

“…Insulin resistance (IR) was also shown to promote the formation and growth of TN [ 11 ]. Recently, it has been suggested that metabolic syndrome (MetS) was associated with the functional and morphological alterations of the thyroid gland and may be involved in the pathogenesis of TN [ 12 , 13 ]. Although the metabolic risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, and abnormal glucose metabolism are involved in the pathogenesis of TN in patients and these have been targeted for therapeutic intervention [ 14 , 15 ], however, up to now, the metabolic mechanisms facilitating TN in individuals still have not been fully investigated, but also there has been scarce literature investigating the different levels of MetS risk factors in subjects with or without TN.…”