Liljana TODOROVSKA, Petar AVRAMOVSKI, Maja AVRAMOVSKA, Jovan TODOROVSKI, Tanja MAKAZLIEVA, Kosta SOTIROSKI, Biljana ILKOVSKA, Olivija VASKOVA
Endocrinology Research and Practice - 2026;30(3):141-147
Objective: The relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and euthyroid nodular goiter (ENG) remains insufficiently defined. This study assesses associations between MetS, its components, and ENG in non-diabetic, iodine-sufficient individuals. Methods: This cross-sectional, case-control, single-center study included 203 euthyroid individuals who underwent thyroid ultrasound, anthropometric, blood pressure (BP), and laboratory assessments: thyroid function, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and serum lipids. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were performed using SPSS (v27.0). Results: Among participants (aged 43.48 +/- 9.15 years, 84.73% female), 103 had ENG (89.3% female), and 100 were controls (80% female), without age difference (P = .094). MetS (P = .019) and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P < .001) were significantly prevalent in ENG, which correlated with MetS (rho = .164, P = .019) and SBP (rho = .267, P < .001). Body mass index (rho = .195, P = .048) and waist circumference (rho = .213, P = .031) correlated with nodule size. MetS doubled the risk of ENG (odds ratio [OR] = 2.02; P = .021). Elevated SBP (OR, 1.068; P < .001), FPG (OR, 1.87; P = .011), and diastolic BP (OR, 1.057; P = .042) were significantly associated with ENG. Only SBP was independently associated (OR, 2.583; P = .006) with the highest, but modest discriminatory performance (cut-off 122.5 mmHg; an area under the curve [AUC], 0.648; P < .001). Conclusion: MetS, hypertension, and FPG are related to ENG, with SBP showing the strongest, though modest, independent association, reinforcing cardiometabolic assessment in thyroid nodularity.
