Sociodemographic Profile of Thyroid Masses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Thyroid gland is the most superficial endocrine gland of the human body in the region of the
neck and is easily accessible to both clinical and Radiological examinations. The thyroid masses must be
diagnosed and managed as early as possible to avoid any malignancy.
Objectives: To evaluate the socio-demographic profile of patient including age and gender distribution in
thyroid lesions.
Materials and Method: This prospective study was a cross-sectional descriptive one, which was conducted
over the 50 subjects with thyroid masses. The collected data were subjected to a statistical analysis which
was performed using a Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0. Descriptive
statistical method were computed, and the statistical significance was tested by chi-square test and student’s
t-test. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Ethical clearance was taken from
ethics committee (H).
Results: There was a female preponderance of 70% associated with this disease entity, against its male
counterpart as 30%. The male to female ratio is 1:2:33. A maximum number of patients in our study is in the
age group of 31-40 years of age, i.e. 40%. Most of the patients (76%) are from a rural area.
Conclusion: Female preponderance of thyroid masses in the age group of 31-40 years was observed and was
more in rural areas. The sociodemographic profile is useful for better future planning of the management of
thyroid masses.