Body size and thyroid nodules in healthy Korean population

Excess weight and obesity have been associated with numerous diseases including thyroid cancer, but the relationship has been weak. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of body sizes on thyroid nodules in healthy Korean population.

A total of 7,763 persons who underwent a health examination in our health examination center were included in this study. The epidemiologic factors, body size and thyroid ultrasound results were reviewed. We investigated the effects of body size on the presence of thyroid nodules and malignancy.

The incidence of thyroid nodules was 20.6%. In the group who were found to have thyroid nodules, mean height, weight and body surface area (BSA) were significantly smaller compared to the others. Especially, in the women, smaller height (less than 160 cm) and overweight (≥ 60 kg) were identified as independent risk factors for the presence of thyroid nodules. The patients with body mass index (BMI) subgroups of normal or overweight had a tendency to have thyroid nodules more frequently. The detection rate of thyroid cancer was 0.47%. The patients with thyroid cancer tended to be smaller in height and BSA than the others.

A higher frequency of thyroid nodules was associated with women and, older age. In women, there were significant correlations in height, weight and BMI subgroups to the presence of thyroid nodules.