Table 1.
General characteristics of all subjects with and without thyroid nodules.
| Men | Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TN(−) | TN(+) | P | TN(−) | TN(+) | P | |
| N (%) | 2417 (58.7) | 1700 (41.3) | — | 2516 (43.5) | 3265 (56.5) | — |
| Age (year) | 51.86 ± 13.26 | 57.25 ± 12.36 | <0.001 | 48.41 ± 12.36 | 56.19 ± 12.39 | <0.001 |
| Smokers (%) | 53.3 | 55.6 | 0.154 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 0.537 |
| Metabolic factors | ||||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.64 ± 3.39 | 25.19 ± 3.23 | <0.001 | 23.74 ± 3.65 | 24.70 ± 3.56 | <0.001 |
| WC (cm) | 83.43 ± 9.53 | 85.65 ± 9.59 | <0.001 | 75.80 ± 9.65 | 79.45 ± 9.95 | <0.001 |
| WHR | 0.89 ± 0.07 | 0.90 ± 0.08 | <0.001 | 0.82 ± 0.07 | 0.85 ± 0.11 | <0.001 |
| FPG (mmol/L) | 5.62 ± 1.38 | 5.82 ± 1.68 | 0.001 | 5.43 ± 1.15 | 5.68 ± 1.48 | <0.001 |
| HOMA-IR | 1.46 ± 2.94 | 1.54 ± 2.57 | 0.011 | 1.45 ± 1.82 | 1.65 ± 1.99 | <0.001 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.55 ± 0.94 | 5.73 ± 1.11 | <0.001 | 5.33 ± 0.83 | 5.57 ± 0.95 | <0.001 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 3.05 ± 0.76 | 3.12 ± 0.75 | 0.001 | 2.99 ± 0.79 | 3.15 ± 0.81 | <0.001 |
| HDL (mmol/L) | 1.37 ± 0.32 | 1.33 ± 0.32 | <0.001 | 1.49 ± 0.30 | 1.46 ± 0.32 | 0.007 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.88 ± 2.01 | 1.89 ± 1.68 | 0.023 | 1.40 ± 0.96 | 1.59 ± 1.36 | <0.001 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 5.14 ± 1.12 | 5.17 ± 1.11 | 0.331 | 5.04 ± 1.01 | 5.25 ± 1.21 | <0.001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 133.40 ± 20.69 | 136.22 ± 20.89 | <0.001 | 126.28 ± 21.66 | 134.02 ± 22.35 | <0.001 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 82.02 ± 12.99 | 82.44 ± 13.04 | 0.310 | 76.41 ± 12.73 | 78.45 ± 12.99 | <0.001 |
| Metabolic diseases | ||||||
| Met-S (%) | 18.3 | 24.1 | <0.001 | 20.2 | 32.5 | <0.001 |
| Obesity (%) | 15.2 | 19.1 | 0.001 | 11.1 | 16.5 | <0.001 |
| Central obesity (%) | 26.4 | 33.4 | <0.001 | 34.1 | 48.7 | <0.001 |
| Diabetes (%) | 12.9 | 18.6 | <0.001 | 8.5 | 14.9 | <0.001 |
| Hyperlipidaemia (%) | 40.2 | 47.2 | <0.001 | 26.5 | 37.5 | <0.001 |
| Hypertension (%) | 47.8 | 57.6 | <0.001 | 32.8 | 49.1 | <0.001 |
| NAFLD (%) | 29.7 | 35.7 | <0.001 | 19.1 | 25.8 | <0.001 |
| Thyroid hormones | ||||||
| TSH (mIU/L) | 2.44 ± 2.68 | 2.47 ± 3.76 | 0.586 | 3.12 ± 4.77 | 3.01 ± 2.80 | 0.748 |
| T3 (nmol/L) | 1.80 ± 0.56 | 1.79 ± 0.50 | 0.581 | 1.72 ± 0.39 | 1.76 ± 0.41 | <0.001 |
| T4 (nmol/L) | 112.80 ± 22.42 | 115.19 ± 23.81 | 0.001 | 113.63 ± 20.59 | 116.33 ± 20.55 | <0.001 |
| TPOAb (U/ml) | 66.26 ± 198.51 | 76.14 ± 217.03 | <0.001 | 139.92 ± 339.82 | 139.42 ± 333.46 | 0.177 |
| TgAb (U/ml) | 26.68 ± 56.33 | 30.77 ± 71.78 | 0.001 | 54.41 ± 111.91 | 54.55 ± 130.44 | 0.488 |
BMI: body mass index; WC: waist circumference; WHR: waist to hip ratio; FPG: fasting blood glucose; HOMA-IR: homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; HbA1c: glycated hemoglobin; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; TG: triglycerides; TC: total cholesterol; SBP: systolic blood pressure; DBP: diastolic blood pressure; Met-S: metabolic syndrome; NAFLD: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; TSH: thyroid stimulating hormone; T3: triiodothyronine; T4: thyroxine; TPOAb: thyroid peroxidase antibody; TgAb: thyroglobulin antibody.