Abstract:Objective: To investigate the prevalence of thyroid diseases, and analyze the level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and the prevalence of dyslipidemia in elderly people in iodine excessive areas. Methods: A total of 258 elderly people aged 65 and above were selected and divided into three groups according to age (65-69 years old, 70-74 years old and≥75 years old) . Each subject completed a questionnaire, physical examination, thyroid ultrasound and thyroid function test. Chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and nodules and the prevalence of dyslipidemia under different TSH levels. Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between age and TSH, and simple linear regression was used to establish the regression equation. Results: The median urinary iodine concentration level of the elderly was 397.60 (225.58, 647.73) μg/L, and the total prevalence of thyroid diseases was 48.84% (126/258) . Among them, the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid nodule were 24.42% (63/258) , and subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common thyroid dysfunction, with the prevalence of 22.48% (58/258) , and gradually increased with age (P<0.01) . Age was positively correlated with TSH level (correlation coefficient=0.31, P<0.001) . With the gradual increase of TSH level, the prevalence of high total cholesterol (TC) (P=0.020) , low high density lipoprotein cholesterin (P=0.010) and low density lipoprotein cholesterin (LDL-C) (P<0.01) gradually increased. When TSH level≥10 mU/L, the prevalence of high TC and high LDL-C were up to 66.67% (4/6) . Conclusion: Subclinical hypothyroidism and thyroid nodules are the main thyroid diseases in the elderly in iodine excessive areas. TSH level increases gradually with age. With the gradual increase of TSH level, the prevalence of dyslipidemia in the elderly gradually increase, with high TC and high LDL-C being the most common.
