Thyroid Gland Standard for Bangladeshi Population and Prevalence of Unknown Pathologies in the Normal Population

Abstract

ObjectiveThe thyroid gland is an important endocrine gland. A nomogram of thyroid gland size in a Bangladeshi population is prepared in this study. MethodsIn the present prospective, cross-sectional study, a nomogram of thyroid gland size was constructed using a linear parameter. Measurements were made of the anterioposterior diameter of the two lobes and the isthmus of the thyroid gland, and the results compared with results from Western studies. Thyroid size was also determined in pregnant women and similar comparisons were made. High-resolution ultrasonography was used for scanning purposes. ResultsMean, standard deviations, and 95% confidence intervals of the measurements were derived from the data of 711 individuals. The mean size of the right lobe of the male participants was 12.73 ± 2.21 mm and of the left lobe 12.36 ± 2.53 mm. The mean size of the right lobe of the female participants was 12.31 ± 2.03 mm and of the left lobe 10.88 ± 2.04 mm. The mean size of the isthmus of the studied men was 3.17 ± 0.69 mm and was 3.09 ± 0.73 mm for the women studied. The mean values of pregnant women were also derived. Statistically significant differences were determined between the right and left lobes within the groups and between two groups. A table of the unknown thyroid pathologies detected during the study, found in 71 individuals or 9.08% of all participants, was also prepared. ConclusionThese nomograms will aid in differentiating normal from abnormal measurements of thyroid glands in the Bangladeshi population. This study also presents the prevalence of unknown thyroid diseases in normal Bangladeshi population.