Prevalence and related factors of thyroid nodules among residents in Zhengzhou city

Objective To examine the prevalence and influencing factors of thyroid nodule among populations in Zhengzhou city of Henan province.Methods Stratified cluster sampling was used to select 3 478 permanent residents aged over 18 years in Zhengzhou city and a questionnaire survey and thyroid B ultrasonography were performed among the residents.Results The prevalence rate of thyroid nodule was 21.28% and the rate increased with age,with significant differences among the residents of different age.The thyroid nodule prevalence of the female residents was significantly higher than that of the male(24.83% vs.17.33%)(P<0.05).The prevalence rate of single nodule was significantly higher than that of multiple nodules(12.56% vs.8.63%)(P<0.05).The results of multi-factor logistic regression showed that potential risk factors of thyroid nodule among the residents were older age(odds ratioOR=6.349),female(OR=2.584),low education level(OR=1.467),working pressure(OR=4.629),being anger frequently(OR=1.835),smoking(OR=1.445),taking seafood frequently(OR=1.751),and history of thyroid disease(OR=2.756).Conclusion This study shows that thyroid nodule is highly prevalent among adult residents in Zhengzhou city and the prevalence might be associated with various individual characteristics as age,sex,education level,working pressure,being anger frequenly,taking seafood frequently,and the history of thyroid disease.