A Retrospective Study on Thyroid Disease Data: Investigating Patterns, Risk Factors, and Outcomes

Abstract

Introduction

 One prevalent endocrine problem that affects health is thyroid abnormalities. Recognizing trends in data related to thyroid disease can help with better management. In this study, a thyroid illness database's trends, risk factors, and results were examined.

Methods

Anonymized information was gathered for 9,172 thyroid patients examined. Demographics, medical history, lab results, symptoms, referrals, and treatment goals were among the variables. Listwise deletion was used to deal with missing data. Distributions were described via descriptive statistics. ANOVA, chi-square tests, correlations, and regressions were used in exploratory analysis to look at associations between variables usng SPSS version 27.

Results

A significant number of patients (66.2%) were middle-aged females. Higher ages were correlated (p<0.05) with being female, older, and having a history of radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid issues, or with higher TSH levels. Higher T3/TT4/FTI levels, female sex, and prior therapy all had a positive correlation (r>0.2, p<0.05) with hypothyroidism under investigation or treatment. Compared to general sources, referrals from specialty hospitals were more frequently focused on cancer. Significant prognostic indicators included drug use, prior therapy, and abnormal TSH/TT4 levels were found using multivariate Cox regression adjusting for variables. An exploratory analysis revealed somewhat negative correlations (r=-0.16 to -0.28, p<0.05) between TSH and T3/TT4/FTI, indicating a relationship between greater TSH and lower thyroid function. T4U showed a positive correlation (r=0.37/0.75, p<0.05) with TT4/FTI, indicating a relationship between total and free biomarkers. The weak negative correlations (r=-0.03 to -0.13, p<0.05) seen between TBG and T3/TT4/FTI may suggest a lower carrier protein and higher unbound levels.

 Conclusion

Age, gender, and past intervention history all contributed to an elevated risk of hypothyroidism. Results-related information on thyroid function was provided by TSH/TT4. Referrals to specialists focused more on cancer. A number of the biomarkers' interactions with one another shed light on the pathophysiology of the thyroid. Incomplete data and a retrospective design were among the limitations. It is necessary to conduct prospective investigations.