title: Thyroid volume and goitre prevalence in the elderly as determined by ultrasound and their relationships to laboratory indices.
abstract: In 569 unselected elderly subjects over 60 years from the general population of an iodine-deficient area, a palpation and an ultrasound investigation of the thyroid were performed. Additionally, thyroid hormone values were determined in 466 of the 569 subjects (81.9%) and urinary iodine excretion in 491 subjects (86.3%). By palpation, no thyroid enlargement was noticed in 302 subjects (54.2%), goitre Ia in 98 (17.6%), goitre Ib in 94 (16.9%), goitre II in 53 (9.5%), and goitre III in 10 (1.8%). The thyroid volumes (medians) by ultrasound were 18.6 ml in the entire group, in women (N = 489) 19.2 ml, and in men (N = 80) 16.6 ml. One hundred and one subjects had a thyroid nodule (17.6%), 43 persons cystic lesions (7.6%). If, according to the literature, a goitre is defined as a thyroid enlargement of more than 18 ml in women and more than 25 ml in males, a goitre prevalence of 54.2% in females and of 22.5% in males was obtained. The goitre prevalence in the entire group was calculated as 49.7%. Thyroid hormone measurements showed in subjects with goitre a significant lower TSH value (p less than 0.001) and a higher thyroglobulin value (p less than 0.001). In summary, the study shows a high prevalence of goitre in elderly subjects, a high prevalence of nodules in these thyroids, a negative correlation of goitre volume with TSH, and a positive correlation of goitre volume with the thyroglobulin concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Hospital, Wuppertal, FRG.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hintze
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Windeler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köbberling
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006042:Goiter / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D013972:Thyrotropin; D013954:Thyroglobulin