Prevalence of thyroid nodules and associated factors in adults: A descriptive cross-sectional study in Vietnam in 2024

Background Thyroid nodules (TNs) are a common clinical condition with a certain percentage of thyroid cancer. There are no studies in Vietnam surveying the prevalence of this disease in the community. This study is carried out to investigate the prevalence of thyroid nodules and some key associated factors in adults in Thanh Tri District, Hanoi. Methods A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study was conducted to determine the prevalence of thyroid nodules in the community, clinical and paraclinical characteristics, and their correlation with several other factors. A total of 1473 randomly selected residents over 18 years of age in Thanh Tri District, Hanoi, were included in the study. After completing the consent form, the selected participants will undergo medical history taking, clinical examination, urine iodine sampling, and thyroid ultrasound. Result A total of 1141/1473 (77,5%) cases were found to have thyroid nodules; the prevalence of thyroid nodules significantly increases with age with the highest incidence in the 61–70 age group (89.4%); the female/male ratio was 5/1. In the group with thyroid nodules, the majority were multinodular (63.9%), affecting both lobes (58.3%), size <10 mm (70.4%), TIRADS 3 (43.2%). Factors such as age ≥ 55, female gender, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia had a statistically significant effect on the prevalence of thyroid nodules ( P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic Regression identified two independent prognostic factors with statistical significance ( p < 0.05): gender (female) and age (≥ 55 years). Conclusion This study showed that screening for endocrine disorders is crucial for individuals aged 55 and over, female, and those with a history of diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia.