title: Effect of estrogen therapy for 1 year on thyroid volume and thyroid nodules in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Estrogen receptors are present in thyroid follicular cells in normal and neoplastic tissue. We evaluated changes in total thyroid volume and volume of thyroid nodules in postmenopausal women given either hormone therapy (HT) or no treatment in a 1-year observational follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 33 women receiving HT and 76 women receiving no treatment, comparing total thyroid volume, thyroid nodule volume, and serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone and estradiol at baseline and 1 year of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations were not different between groups either at baseline or at 1 year. Estradiol rose significantly in the HT group. The final percent changes in total thyroid volume were comparable between groups (HT, 1.59 +/- 2.56%; no treatment, 1.20 +/- 2.28%). At baseline, nodules were detected in 17 (51.5%) and 33 (43.4%) of women in the HT and no treatment groups, respectively, with no statistically significant difference between groups. The final number of nodules was unchanged or reduced in 88.2% and 81.1% and increased in 11.8% and 18.9% of women in the HT and no treatment groups, respectively, with no differences between groups. Baseline volumes of thyroid nodules were 0.8 +/- 0.4 and 1.4 +/- 0.4 mL in women in the HT and no treatment groups, respectively (P = 0.4). After 1 year the volume of thyroid nodules was unchanged or reduced in 47.1% and 52.8% and increased in 52.9% and 47.2% of women in the HT and no treatment groups, respectively, with no differences between groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Estrogen administration for 1 year did not affect thyroid volume or the number and volume of thyroid nodules in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. ceresini@unipr.it
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ceresini
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Milli
authors.forename: Simonetta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morganti
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bacchi-Modena
authors.forename: Maria Paola
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sgarabotto
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chirico
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Donato
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campanati
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valcavi
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ceda
authors.forename: Lewis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Braverman
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valenti
mesh_terms: D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000187:drug effects*; D011372:Progestins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000187:drug effects*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D011372:Progestins