title: Prevalence of goiter and thyroid nodular disease in patients with class III obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prevalence of goiter and nodular disease in patients with class III obesity, and to correlate results with serum leptin levels and insulin resistance (IR) parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was performed to assess thyroid ultrasound (US) patterns, HOMA-IR, serum leptin, and TSH levels in obese patients and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thyroid volume was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.240, p = 0.039) and with HOMA-IR (r = 0.329; p < 0.01). Thyroid US patterns were similar between groups. However, when data from the male group was considered, greater thyroid volume was detected in the obese group compared with controls (10.8 vs. 8.5 cm³; p = 0.04). Also, nodules were more frequently detected (67% vs. 18%), as were nodules requiring FNAB (33.3% vs. 0%, p ≥ 0.05-0.09), in this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although IR did not correlate directly with the presence of nodules, the results support the hypothesis of a direct association between insulin resistance and thyroid volume.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology Service, Medicine School, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. alves_priscila@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Priscila Alves Medeiros de
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaisman
authors.forename: João Regis Ivar
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Heloisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Freitas
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda Castellar
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liechocki
authors.forename: Clarissa Menezes Maya
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Patrícia de Fátima dos Santos
authors.initials: Pde F
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006042:Goiter / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D013972:Thyrotropin