Goiter in adult patients aged 55 years and older: etiology and clinical features in 634 patients

Abstract

Background: Goiter is common in older people, although the frequency of the different causes of goiter has not been well defined. Our aim has been to assess the frequency of the diverse etiologies of goiter in adult patients aged 55 years and older, and evaluate the relationships between etiology and age, sex, and goiter features.

Methods: We performed a descriptive, cross-sectional study in ambulatory patients in the setting of an endocrinology clinic. Six hundred thirty-four patients (544 women, 85.8%) with goiter, aged 55-91 years, were studied.

Results: Causes of goiter were nontoxic multinodular goiter (325 patients, 51.3%); toxic multinodular goiter (151 patients, 23.8%); solitary thyroid nodule (62 patients, 9.8%); toxic adenoma (32 patients, 5.0%); Graves' disease (27 patients, 4.3%); Hashimoto's thyroiditis (25 patients, 3.9%); simple goiter (8 patients, 1.3%); thyroiditis (3 patients, 0.5%); and thyroid-stimulating hormone-secreting pituitary adenoma (1 patient, 0.2%). Patients with multinodular goiter had greater thyroid size and longer time of evolution than those patients with uninodular disease. Most of the symptoms and signs associated with goiter were dependent on thyroid size and time of evolution. Age and sex conditioned the presence of retrosternal goiter and tracheal deviation, and previous therapy was related to retrosternal goiter and local symptoms. However, etiology was not associated with the presence of any symptom.

Conclusion: Nontoxic and toxic multinodular goiter are the main etiologies of goiter in patients aged 55 years and older. Thyroid size is the main factor influencing the appearance of signs and symptoms, although age and sex are related with the presence of retrosternal goiter and tracheal deviation.