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Gender based disparities in thyroid dysfunction among the elderly: elevated prevalence in women

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 80, pages 322–328 (2026) Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

To explore gender disparities in thyroid dysfunction within the elderly population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly individuals residing in Longxi County (Dingxi City, Gansu Province), Yuncheng County (Heze City, Shandong Province), and Tianjin, China. Urine and blood samples were collected, and thyroid volume was measured using thyroid ultrasonography to evaluate iodine nutritional status and thyroid function in the elderly.

Results

A total of 3397 elderly individuals were included in the study, comprising 1433 men and 1964 women. The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 253.27  (interquartile range: 126.50–492.66) μg/L. The study revealed that the prevalence of thyroid nodules, goiter, positive thyroid antibodies, and thyroid dysfunction was significantly higher in women than in men (P < 0.05). With the increase in iodine nutrition levels, an upward trend in the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction is observed across both men and women elderly populations (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that elderly women had a significantly higher risk of thyroid nodules (OR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.56–2.06), goiter (OR: 10.67, 95% CI: 5.18–22.01), positive thyroid antibodies (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.90–2.81), and thyroid dysfunction (OR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.51–2.09) compared with men.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight a significant sexual dimorphism in thyroid health among the elderly. Women consistently exhibited a higher risk of thyroid dysfunction, nodules, and autoimmunity compared to men, with this disparity remaining evident across all levels of iodine nutrition.

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Data availability

All datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We express our sincere appreciation to all the workers who participated in this study.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number 82204041).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Qi Jin, Chunlei Zhao, Rui Yang.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China

    Qi Jin, Rui Yang, Fei Li, Hexi Zhang, Meina Ji, Yantong Liu, Wenxing Guo & Wanqi Zhang

  2. Tianjin Binhai New Area Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Tianjin Binhai New Area Health Supervision Institute), Tianjin, China

    Chunlei Zhao

  3. Trace Elements Group, Expert Committee on Dietary Reference Intakes Revision, Chinese Nutrition Society, Beijing, China

    Wenxing Guo & Wanqi Zhang

  4. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environment, Center for International Collaborative Research on Environment, Nutrition and Public Health, Tianjin, China

    Wenxing Guo & Wanqi Zhang

  5. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China

    Wanqi Zhang

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Contributions

Conceptualization: Chunlei Zhao, Wenxing Guo and Wanqi Zhang; Investigation: Qi Jin, Rui Yang, Fei Li, Hexi Zhang, Meina Ji and Yantong Liu; Writing—Original draft preparation: Qi Jin; Writing—Reviewing and Editing: Wenxing Guo and Wanqi Zhang.

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Correspondence to Wenxing Guo.

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Jin, Q., Zhao, C., Yang, R. et al. Gender based disparities in thyroid dysfunction among the elderly: elevated prevalence in women. Eur J Clin Nutr 80, 322–328 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-025-01696-w

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