Relationship between complications of type 2 diabetes and thyroid nodules

Abstract

Objective

Recent evidence suggests that diabetes is a risk factor for thyroid nodules. However, the relationship between complications of type 2 diabetes and the risk of thyroid nodules remains unclear. This present study aims to investigate the association between thyroid nodules and complications of type 2 diabetes.

Methods

This retrospective study collected 4696 adult inpatients with type 2 diabetes between January 2021 and December 2021. The complications examined in this paper included diabetic nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy, eye disorder, and peripheral vascular disease.

Results

A total of 4696 patients with type 2 diabetes participated in the study, of whom 19.6% had thyroid nodules. Among all the complications, eye disorder had the highest incidence of thyroid nodules (incidence rate, 29.4%; 95% CI, 26.23%–32.51%). The prevalence of thyroid nodules was lower among patients without complications (incidence rate, 14.1%; 95% CI, 12.48% −15.67%) compared to patients who had complications (incidence rate, 23.1%; 95% CI, 21.59%–24.68%) (p < 0.001). Logistic regression revealed that peripheral neuropathy (adjusted OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.4–1.9), eye disorder (adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.5–2.2), and peripheral vascular disease (adjusted OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.6–2.1) were all significantly associated with an increased risk of thyroid nodules. However, no significant correlation was found between diabetic nephropathy and the risk of thyroid nodules.

Conclusion

One of the key findings of this study is that type 2 diabetes without complications is negatively correlated with the risk of thyroid nodules, while several complications are associated with a significantly increased risk of thyroid nodules.

Keywords:

• Type 2 diabetes
• thyroid nodules
• diabetic nephropathy
• peripheral neuropathy
• eye disorder
• peripheral vascular disease

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This study was not funded.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

Xuexue Zhang, Xujie Wang and Jian Liu designed research and wrote the main manuscript text. Qiuyan Li performed study and analyzed data. Xuexue Zhang, Xujie Wang and Jian Liu extracted the data. Yuying Xu and Jiwei Zhang edited and revised manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.

Acknowledgements

None.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author under request.

Ethics statement

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The data are anonymous, and the requirement for informed consent was therefore waived.