title: Higher risk for thyroid diseases in physicians than in the general population: a Taiwan nationwide population-based secondary analysis study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physicians have high work stress, responsibility for night shifts and chances of exposure to medical radiation, which may increase the risk for thyroid diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We conducted this study to assess the risk for thyroid diseases in physicians, which remain unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a secondary analysis of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  After excluding thyroid diseases occurring before 2006 and residents, physicians and general population were identified by matching with age and sex in 2009 in a 1:2 ratio. The risk for thyroid diseases was compared between the physicians and general population and among physicians by tracing their medical histories between 2006 and 2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 28,649 physicians and 57,298 general population were identified. Physicians had a higher risk for overall thyroid diseases than the general population [odds ratio (OR): 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10-1.47], including individual thyroid disease: thyroid cancer (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.22-2.95), hypothyroidism (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.23-2.18) and thyroiditis (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.00-2.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We showed that physicians had a significantly higher risk for thyroid diseases than the general population. This reminds us to pay more attention to thyroid diseases in physicians. Further studies about the underlying mechanisms are warranted.
authors: From the Section of Neuroradiology, Department of Medical Imaging, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan 711, Taiwan.
authors: T-Y
authors: TY
authors: Chen
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan.
authors: C-C
authors: CC
authors: Hsu
authors: Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.
authors: I-J
authors: IJ
authors: Feng
authors: Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.
authors: J-J
authors: JJ
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Management, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Occupational Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan 736, Taiwan.
authors: S-B
authors: SB
authors: Su
authors: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.|Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan 704, Taiwan.
authors: H-R
authors: HR
authors: Guo
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Occupational Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.|Bachelor Program of Senior Service, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.
authors: C-C
authors: CC
authors: Huang
authors: Department of Emergency Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Biotechnology, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan 710, Taiwan.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors: H-J
authors: HJ
authors: Lin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008511:Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology