Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with thyroid nodules
| Characteristics | Total | Benign TNs | PTC | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients (%) | 1,998 (100.0) | 541 (27.1) | 1,457 (72.9) | |
| Age (years) | 46 (34, 55) | 52 (44, 60) | 43 (33, 52) | < 0.001 |
| Male, n (%) | 521 (26.1) | 129 (23.8) | 392 (26.9) | 0.169 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.57 (21.37, 25.78) | 23.80 (21.49, 25.65) | 23.51 (21.33, 25.78) | 0.329 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 126 (116, 137) | 128 (118, 139) | 125 (115, 136) | < 0.001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 77 (70, 84) | 77 (70, 84) | 77 (70, 84) | 0.694 |
| FPG (mmol/L) | 4.46 (4.19, 4.82) | 4.55 (4.28, 4.88) | 4.44 (4.16, 4.79) | < 0.001 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 4.18 (3.65, 4.74) | 4.21 (3.62, 4.79) | 4.17 (3.66, 4.72) | 0.663 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.07 (0.75, 1.56) | 1.06 (0.76, 1.53) | 1.07 (0.74, 1.58) | 0.736 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.16 (0.97, 1.39) | 1.19 (0.99, 1.42) | 1.15 (0.96, 1.38) | 0.004 |
| LDL-C (mmol/L) | 2.41 (1.99, 2.89) | 2.44 (1.99, 2.88) | 2.40 (2.00, 2.89) | 0.956 |
| History of exposure to ionizing radiation, n (%) | 46 (2.3) | 5 (0.9) | 41 (2.8) | 0.011 |
| Family history of thyroid cancer, n (%) | 89 (4.5) | 16 (3.0) | 73 (5.0) | 0.051 |
| TgAb (IU/mL) | 11.36 (10.00, 35.83) | 10.60 (10.00, 16.25) | 11.88 (10.00, 60.95) | < 0.001 |
| TPOAb (IU/mL) | 17.20 (11.60, 26.20) | 16.90 (11.85, 23.30) | 17.50 (11.42, 28.47) | 0.060 |
| FT3 (pmol/L) | 4.94 (4.57, 5.35) | 4.95 (4.58, 5.32) | 4.93 (4.56, 5.35) | 0.614 |
| FT4 (pmol/L) | 16.79 (15.20, 18.58) | 16.80 (15.09, 18.72) | 16.75 (15.20, 18.51) | 0.873 |
| TSH (mIU/L) | 2.35 (1.56, 3.52) | 1.95 (1.22, 3.13) | 2.46 (1.69, 3.72) | < 0.001 |
| TSHI | 3.12 (2.68, 3.55) | 2.93 (2.47, 3.38) | 3.19 (2.77, 3.59) | < 0.001 |
| TT4RI | 39.14 (26.04, 59.37) | 32.77 (20.70, 50.77) | 41.25 (28.29, 62.21) | < 0.001 |
| TFQI | 0.01 (-0.24, 0.24) | -0.06 (-0.31, 0.15) | 0.03 (-0.21, 0.27) | < 0.001 |
| PTFQI | 0.05 (-0.20, 0.34) | -0.02 (-0.29, 0.22) | 0.09 (-0.15, 0.38) | < 0.001 |
| FT3/FT4 | 0.30 (0.27, 0.33) | 0.30 (0.26, 0.33) | 0.30 (0.27, 0.33) | 0.989 |
| Use of levothyroxine, n (%) | 67 (3.4) | 21 (3.9) | 46 (3.2) | 0.510 |
| Use of anti-thyroid drugs, n (%) | 11 (0.6) | 3 (0.6) | 8 (0.5) | 1.000 |
Data are expressed as median (interquartile ranges) or frequency (%)
TNs Thyroid nodules; PTC Papillary thyroid carcinoma; BMI Body mass index (weight/height2); SBP Systolic blood pressure; DBP Diastolic blood pressure; FPG Fasting plasma glucose; TC Total cholesterol; TG Triglyceride; HDL-C High-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TgAb Thyroglobulin antibody; TPOAb Thyroid peroxidase antibody; TSH Thyroid-stimulating hormone; FT3 Free triiodothyronine; FT4 Free thyroxine; TSHI TSH index; TT4RI TSH T4 resistance index; TFQI Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index; PTFQI Parametric Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index