Patterns of thyroid disorders in Qena population: a hospital-based descriptive study

Background: Data regarding iodine deficiency disorder in Upper Egypt is rare and even limited. In this study, we aim to determine the status of variable patterns of thyroid disorders and find out the relationship between some risk factors like gender, age, family history and the occurrence of thyroid disorders among Qena population referred to our nuclear medicine clinic from January 2011 to the end of December 2012. Methods: A retrospective hospital-based descriptive and analytical study was conducted on patients referred to our nuclear medicine clinic who complained of various clinical features related to the thyroid gland. The study was performed using data collected from the registration unit in the nuclear medicine clinic. Results: A total of 46 patients (9 men and 37 non-pregnant women) were included. The collected variables were sex, age, family history, menstrual status of females, thyroid-related complaints, history of thyroidectomy and I-131 therapy. 43.5% of the patients were highly affected by thyrotoxicosis, followed by hypothyroidism (26.1%), simple nodular goiter (SNG) (17.4%) and differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) (13%). 80.4% of patients were female and 19.6% were male. The highest number of different thyroid diseases were reported in the age group of 20-49 years. Conclusions: Different risk factors including sex, age, family history are highlighted in this study, but still the low levels of iodine in the soil and drinking water in Upper Egypt and bad nutrition are the most common factors that may cause goiter.