Table 2.
Comparison of patient groups according to vaccine association
| Variables* | Vaccine-associated group (n = 16) | Non-vaccine associated group (n = 39) | p-value# |
|---|---|---|---|
| N (%) | 16 (29.1) | 39 (70.9) | - |
| Age, mean ± SD, years | 49.4 ± 12.0 | 45.2 ± 8.8 | 0.16 |
| Female gender, n (%) | 12 (75.0) | 25 (64.1) | 0.43 |
| Time to diagnosis, median (range), days | 30.5 (18.0–90.0) | 28.0 (8.0–60.0) | 0.51 |
| Overt hyperthyroidism at diagnosis, n (%) | 11 (68.7) | 28 (71.8) | 0.82 |
| The laboratory tests at diagnosis | |||
| TSH, median (range), mIU/L | 0.02 (0.01–1.50) | 0.02 (0.01–3.92) | 0.42 |
| fT4, median (range), pmol/L | 27.41 (12.10–88.04) | 29.86 (12.10–72.98) | 0.69 |
| WBC, median (range), 103/mm3 | 8.55 (5.27–16.70) | 9.65 (5.10–15.72) | 0.33 |
| ESR, mean ± SD, mm/h | 42.4 ± 18.7 | 49.0 ± 18.7 | 0.23 |
| CRP, median (range), mg/L | 25.5 (5.7–224.0) | 59.4 (7.3–190.5) | 0.15 |
| Disease involvement, n (%) | 0.43 | ||
| Unilateral | 8 (50.0) | 15 (38.5) | - |
| Bilateral | 8 (50.0) | 24 (61.5) | - |
| Thyroid volume at diagnosis, median (range), cm3 | 21.41 (7.49–38.05) | 19.08 (8.34–101.67) | 0.85 |
| Treatment modality, n (%)0.16 | |||
| NSAIDs | 9 (56.2) | 14 (35.9) | - |
| Methylprednisolon | 7 (43.8) | 25 (64.1) | - |
| Follow-up time, mean ± SD, days (n = 45) | 42.8 ± 17.0 | 49.9 ± 20.4 | 0.24 |
| Euthyroidism at follow-up, n (%) | 12/16 (75.0) | 14/29 (48.3) | 0.08 |
| The laboratory tests at follow-up | |||
| TSH, median (range), mIU/L | 2.94 (0.04–6.41) | 2.43 (0.01–11.21) | 0.38 |
| fT4, median (range), pmol/L | 12.48 (10.55–20.98) | 13.77 (10.81–29.35) | 0.19 |
CRP C-reactive protein, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fT4 free thyroxine, NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone, WBC white blood cells, SD standard deviation
*Normally distributed data are reported using mean ± standard deviation, while non-normally distributed data are reported using median (min–max)#In the comparison of continuous variables, p-values were calculated with the independent samples t-test (for normally distributed data) and the Mann–Whitney U test (for non-normally distributed data). In the comparison of categorical variables, p-values were calculated with the χ.2 test