ESPE Abstracts

Background: Thyroid diseases rank first in endocrine pathology among children with the iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) being the significant part.

Objective and hypotheses: To study the frequency of thyroid pathology in view of the results of the profound preventive medical check-up of 14-year-old teenagers of Krasnodar.

Method: We examined 578 adolescents (301 boys and 277 girls). All adolescents were examined by an endocrinologist with the screening by ultrasound of the thyroid gland and research on thyroid hormones in cases of medical necessity.

Results: Thyroid gland was examined by touch among 53 adolescents (9.2%), more often among girls (15.5%), than boys (3%). According to ultrasonic research of thyroid gland structural infringements are registered roughly in one in five patients (22.4% – boys 23.5%, girls 21.3%). The most frequent result of thyroid ultrasonography is diffuse thyroid changes in its structure (60.6% – with an equal frequency among girls and boys) followed by cystic tissue changes (25.7%). In this case changes are by 2.5 times oftener among boys than among girls (35.6 and 14% respectively). The symptoms of mass lesion are detected in 6.4% cases (by 1.5 times oftener among girls than among boys). The specific ultrasonographic pattern, estimated as immunologic thyroiditis is diagnosed in 3.7% cases, by 3.5 times oftener (6%) among girls in comparison to boys (1.7%). The diagnosis of all patients immunologic thyroiditis was confirmed on the ground of increased thyroid peroxidase antibodies titer. In 38.8% cases immunologic thyroiditis results in thyroid insufficiency. According to ultrasonic research hyperplasia of thyroid gland is registered in 1.8% cases only among girls.

Conclusion: Roughly one in five adolescents in Krasnodar has a palpable thyroid gland, structural tissue changes are registered in one in four cases. The profound preventive medical check-up is a significant method of symptomless diagnosis of thyroid pathology.