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Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Author Spotlight: Integrating Ultrasound Imaging with Biochemical Markers for Thyroid Disease Diagnosis
Published on: February 9, 2024
The thyroid disease in the elderly: Our experience
Matteo Angelo Cannizzaro1, Antonino Buffone1, Salvatore Lo Bianco1
1Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Advanced Technologies " G.F.Ingrassia", University of Catania, Italy.
Introduction:
The number of elderly people in Italy is growing, so it is important to study the presentation of diseases in these subjects.
Materials And Methods:
We selected 1362 patients who underwent thyroidectomy for different thyroid diseases from January 2008 to December 2014. The patients weredivided into two groups, according to the age. The patients aged 65 years and over were included in the group A, and the patients under the age of 65 years were included in the group B.
Discussion:
Thyroid diseases in the elderly often present with atypical symptoms which are very similar to symptoms of the aging process. In elderly hypothyroidism occurs frequently sub-clinically and hyperthyroidism is often presented with cardiovascular symptoms. In our study we evaluated the differences in incidence of thyroid diseases in the elderly and in the younger groups of patients.
Conclusion:
The data analyzed in this study showed that in the elderly we have a reduced secretion and metabolization of thyroid hormones. The symptomatology in the elderly is nonspecific and can create a delay in the correct diagnosis.
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