Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
Department of Biometry and Data Management, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 4;14(1):26710. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77896-4.
Following implementation of a national prevention program against iodine deficiency-related disorders in 1993 in Germany, the prevalence of thyroid disorders declined, but aggregated drug dispensation data suggested a recent increase in thyroid hormone use. We aimed to systematically investigate trends in the use of thyroid diagnostic and treatment measures between 2008 and 2019 in Germany. Using the GePaRD database (claims data from ~ 20% of the German population), we determined the annual age-specific and age-standardized prevalence of the use of thyroid diagnostics (thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) measurement, thyroid ultrasound, scintiscan, biopsy) and treatment (medication, surgery, radioiodine therapy) from 2008 to 2019 stratified by sex. Between 2008 and 2019, the age-standardized prevalence of TSH measurement increased by 44% in males (from 165 to 238 per 1,000 persons) and by 31% in females (from 134 to 176 per 1,000). The prevalence of thyroid ultrasound use showed no clear time trend, while there was a decrease in the prevalence of scintiscan use (males/females: decrease by 42/43%) and biopsy (males/females: decrease by 42/34%). The prevalence of levothyroxine use increased by ~ 31% both in males (from 36 to 47 per 1,000) and females (from 134 to 175 per 1,000), while the prevalence of thionamide use, iodine use, thyroidectomy, and radioiodine therapy decreased. Our study suggests a continued decline in the prevalence of clinically significant thyroid disorders between 2008 and 2019. The substantial increase in the prevalence of TSH measurement and levothyroxine use during this time period might indicate overuse of diagnostics and overtreatment, warranting further investigation.
自 1993 年德国实施国家碘缺乏症防治计划以来,甲状腺疾病的患病率有所下降,但综合药物配给数据表明,甲状腺激素的使用近期有所增加。我们旨在系统研究 2008 年至 2019 年期间德国甲状腺诊断和治疗措施使用的趋势。我们使用 GePaRD 数据库(来自德国约 20%人口的索赔数据),确定了 2008 年至 2019 年期间按性别分层的甲状腺诊断(促甲状腺激素(TSH)测量、甲状腺超声、闪烁扫描、活检)和治疗(药物治疗、手术、放射性碘治疗)的年度年龄特异性和年龄标准化患病率。2008 年至 2019 年期间,男性 TSH 测量的年龄标准化患病率增加了 44%(从每 1000 人 165 人增加到 238 人),女性增加了 31%(从每 1000 人 134 人增加到 176 人)。甲状腺超声使用的流行率没有明显的时间趋势,而闪烁扫描使用的流行率下降(男性/女性:下降 42/43%)和活检(男性/女性:下降 42/34%)。左旋甲状腺素的使用流行率在男性中增加了约 31%(从每 1000 人 36 人增加到 47 人),在女性中增加了 31%(从每 1000 人 134 人增加到 175 人),而硫脲类药物、碘的使用、甲状腺切除术和放射性碘治疗的流行率下降。我们的研究表明,2008 年至 2019 年间,临床上显著的甲状腺疾病的患病率继续下降。在此期间,TSH 测量和左旋甲状腺素使用的流行率显著增加,可能表明诊断过度和过度治疗,需要进一步调查。