An epidemiological study of the prevalence and associated risk factors of goiter among adults in the southern part of Albania

[eng] Introduction: In developing countries such as Albania, goiter is a major public health problem. Although the morbidity and mortality of thyroid surgery have decreased markedly, serious complications may still occur. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated fa...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Kokalari, Igli, Abazaj, Erjona, Ali, Ela
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de las Islas Baleares
Repositorio:Biblioteca Digital de les Illes Balears
OAI Identifier:medicinaBalear:AJHS_Medicina_Balear_2023v38n3p115
Acceso en línea:http://ibdigital.uib.es/greenstone/sites/oai-site/collect/medicinaBalear/index/assoc/AJHS_Med/icina_Ba/lear_202/3v38n3p1/15.dir/AJHS_Medicina_Balear_2023v38n3p115.pdf
http://ibdigital.uib.es/greenstone/library/collection/medicinaBalear/document/AJHS_Medicina_Balear_2023v38n3p115
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Goiter -- Albania
Thyroid gland--Diseases -- Albania
Health Sciences
Medicine
Descripción
Sumario:&#091;eng&#093; Introduction: In developing countries such as Albania, goiter is a major public health problem. Although the morbidity and mortality of thyroid surgery have decreased markedly, serious complications may still occur. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of goiter in women in Gjirokastra city, situated in south Albania. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted from January 2009 to December 2018. The data of 325 women suspected of goiter were collected. The epidemiological data such as demographic data, family history, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, menstrual status, salt consumption, and also metabolic syndrome were analyzed by SPSS version 20.0. The logistic regression analysis was applied to assess the risk factors and the relationship between variables. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of goiter was 35.7% (116/325) (95% CI, 31.01 to 39.4%). The mean age was 41.32± 10.05 with a minimum and maximum age of 20 to 71. The most affected age resulted in 41-50 years old with 41% (95% CI, 37.4 to 45.8%). The finding showed that age, family history, BMI, and menstrual status had a significant relationship with goiter with a p-value <0.05. Likewise, our study demonstrated metabolic syndrome to be a strong predictor of goiter. Conclusions: The prevalence of goiter was relatively high among women. Having a family history and being 41-50 years old increased the risk of goiter. The findings data suggest the need for special attention for females of advanced age, on menopause, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. They should be examined by physicians and screened with imaging tests and laboratories test for goiter.