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Thyroid volume - new reference values for defining thyroid enlargement.
Eur. J. Endocrinol. 192, 728-736 (2025)
OBJECTIVE: Upper reference values for thyroid volume are 25 ml for men and 18 ml for women. Thyroid volume alters with age, body weight, body height and iodine status, which is not considered in the current limits. The aim was to develop reference equations, considering age, body weight and height to calculate individual reference values for thyroid volume. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study, used data from three independent cohorts (SHIP-START, SHIP-TREND, KORA-F4) in Germany. SHIP-START-0, a population-based health survey carried out in Northern Germany, from 1997-2001. SHIP-TREND-0, a second independent sample of the same study region, carried out between 2008-2012. KORA F4, a population-based health survey, conducted between 2006-2008 in Southern Germany. METHODS: A total of 11,549 individuals (51% women) were included in data analysis. 8,606 individuals (45% women) were used as the thyroid-healthy reference population, when developing equations. Sex-stratified quantile regression models for the 95th percentile using age, body weight and height as explanatory variables, were performed. RESULTS: Overall reference value for men was 38.7 ml, for women 28.6 ml. According to the established cut-offs, 34% of the overall population would have had goitre compared to 7% when using our equations. CONCLUSION: Upper reference values for thyroid volume are too low for an adult, previously iodine deficient population and do not consider age, body weight and height. Using individualised equations reduces the prevalence of thyroid enlargement substantially and can lead to a decrease in overdiagnoses and use of medical resources.
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Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
Keywords
Goitre ; Thyroid Enlargement ; Thyroid Volume ; Reference Values; Tsh-reference Range; Population; Ultrasound; Epidemiology; Disorders; Size; Ultrasonography; Nodules; Weight; Adults
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0804-4643
e-ISSN
1479-683X
Quellenangaben
Volume: 192,
Issue: 6,
Pages: 728-736
Publisher
BioScientifica
Publishing Place
Great Clarendon St, Oxford Ox2 6dp, England
Non-patent literature
Publications
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed
Institute(s)
Institute of Epidemiology (EPI)
Grants
State of Bavaria
Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen-German Research Center for Environmental Health - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
German Federal State of Mecklenburg/West-Pomerania
Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen-German Research Center for Environmental Health - German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
German Federal State of Mecklenburg/West-Pomerania