Association between Neck Circumference and Thyroid Disease: Findings of a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Korea

So-Jung  Park; In Cheol  Hwang; Hong Yup  Ahn

doi:10.18502/ijph.v53i3.15157

So-Jung Park Department of Family Medicine, National Cancer Center, Goyang, South Korea
In Cheol Hwang Department of Family Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, South Korea
Hong Yup Ahn Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v53i3.15157

Keywords: Korean; Neck circumference; Premenopausal women; Thyroid diseases

Abstract

Background: There were contradictory reports about the relationship between neck circumference (NC) and thyroid status. This study aimed to compare the NCs of Korean adults with or without thyroid disease.

Methods: The data of 8,198 subjects (aged 40–80 yr) that participated in the 2019-2020 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were subjected to analysis. NCs were measured by trained staff to an accuracy of ±0.1 cm with a tape measure. Multiple logistic models were used to assess the prevalence of thyroid disease by NC level among men and pre- and postmenopausal women.

Results: Approximately 5% of subjects had a history of thyroid disease. In contrast to men and postmenopausal women, premenopausal women with a larger NC had a significantly higher prevalence of thyroid disease (P-value=0.025).

Conclusion: A large NC is significantly associated with thyroid disease among premenopausal Korean women.