Higher risk for thyroid diseases in physicians than in the general population: a Taiwan nationwide population-based secondary analysis study

• Published in: QJM : An International Journal of Medicine Vol. 110; no. 3; p. 163
• Main Authors: Chen, T-Y, Hsu, C-C, Feng, I-J, Wang, J-J, Su, S-B, Guo, H-R, Huang, C-C, Lin, H-J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.03.2017
• Subjects: Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Databases, Factual; Female; Humans; Hyperthyroidism - epidemiology; Hyperthyroidism - etiology; Hypothyroidism - epidemiology; Hypothyroidism - etiology; Male; Medicine - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases - epidemiology; Occupational Diseases - etiology; Physicians - statistics & numerical data; Risk Assessment - methods; Sex Distribution; Taiwan - epidemiology; Thyroid Diseases - epidemiology; Thyroid Diseases - etiology; Thyroid Neoplasms - epidemiology; Thyroid Neoplasms - etiology; Thyroiditis - epidemiology; Thyroiditis - etiology
• ISSN: 1460-2725; 1460-2393
• DOI: 10.1093/qjmed/hcw140

Physicians have high work stress, responsibility for night shifts and chances of exposure to medical radiation, which may increase the risk for thyroid diseases. We conducted this study to assess the risk for thyroid diseases in physicians, which remain unclear. We used a secondary analysis of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for this study. After excluding thyroid diseases occurring before 2006 and residents, physicians and general population were identified by matching with age and sex in 2009 in a 1:2 ratio. The risk for thyroid diseases was compared between the physicians and general population and among physicians by tracing their medical histories between 2006 and 2012. In total, 28,649 physicians and 57,298 general population were identified. Physicians had a higher risk for overall thyroid diseases than the general population [odds ratio (OR): 1.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10-1.47], including individual thyroid disease: thyroid cancer (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.22-2.95), hypothyroidism (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.23-2.18) and thyroiditis (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.00-2.19). We showed that physicians had a significantly higher risk for thyroid diseases than the general population. This reminds us to pay more attention to thyroid diseases in physicians. Further studies about the underlying mechanisms are warranted.