Trends in thyroid function testing, neck ultrasound, thyroid fine needle aspiration, and thyroidectomies in North-eastern Italy.
J Endocrinol Invest
; 44(8): 1679-1688, 2021 Aug.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33460012
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Evidence of an increased diagnostic pressure on thyroid has emerged over the past decades. This study aimed to provide estimates of a wide spectrum of surveillance indicators for thyroid dysfunctions and diseases in Italy.METHODS:
A population-based study was conducted in North-eastern Italy, including 11.7 million residents (20% of the total Italian population). Prescriptions for TSH testing, neck ultrasound or thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA), surgical procedures, and drugs for hypo- or hyperthyroidism were extracted from regional health databases. Proportions and rates of selected examinations were calculated from 2010 to 2017, overall and by sex, calendar years, age, and region.RESULTS:
Between 2010 and 2017 in North-eastern Italy, 24.5% of women and 9.8% of men received at least one TSH test yearly. In 2017, 7.1% of women and 1.5% of men were prescribed drugs for thyroid dysfunction, 94.6% of whom for hypothyroidism. Neck ultrasound examinations were performed yearly in 6.9% of women and 4.6% of men, with a nearly two-fold variation between areas. Thyroid FNA and thyroidectomies were three-fold more frequent in women (394 and 85 per 100,000) than in men (128 and 29 per 100,000) with a marked variation between areas. Both procedures decreased consistently after 2013.CONCLUSIONS:
The results of this population-based study describe recent variations over time and between surrounding areas of indicators of 'diagnostic pressure' on thyroid in North-eastern Italy. These results emphasize the need to harmonize practices and to reduce some procedures (e.g., neck ultrasound and total thyroidectomies) in certain areas.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Thyroid Diseases
/
Thyroid Function Tests
/
Thyroid Gland
/
Thyroidectomy
/
Ultrasonography
/
Biopsy, Fine-Needle
Type of study:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Screening_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
J Endocrinol Invest
Year:
2021
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italy