Table 1.
Population characteristics.
| TOTAL SUBJECTS | 111 |
|---|---|
| Sex (n) | |
| M | 43 (39%) |
| F | 68 (61%) |
| Age (years) | 51 ± 12 |
| Time from first thyroid evaluation (years) | 6 ± 0.56 |
| Smoking habit (n) | |
| No | 71 (64%) |
| Ex | 27 (24%) |
| Yes | 13 (12%) |
| Positive family history (n) | |
| For thyroid benign alterations | 43 (39%) |
| For thyroid malignant nodules | 7 (6%) |
| No | 61 (55%) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26.3 ± 5.7 |
| No. of patients with nodules | 54 (49%) |
| No. of nodules | 106 |
| Thyroiditis | |
| Biochemical diagnosis alone* | 3 (3%) |
| US diagnosis alone° | 3 (3%) |
| Both biochemical and US diagnosis | 1 (1%) |
| Thyroid function | |
| Euthyroidism | 108 (97%) |
| Subclinical hyperthyroidism | 2 (2%) |
| LT4 treated hypothyroidism | 1 (1%) |
Values are expressed as total and percentage (%) or mean and standard deviation [BMI, body mass index; US, ultrasound; LT4, levothyroxine; *high anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies and/or anti-thyroglobulin antibodies; °US features consistent with thyroiditis].