Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the whole cohort

Baseline characteristics (N = 207)

Thyroid ultrasound (N = 160)

 Mean age (years)

42.5 + 14.7

   Normal (%)

63.8

 Female (%)

75.8

   Enlarged (%)

36.2

Presenting symptoms

Thyroid ultrasound texture

 Dysphagia and/or hoarseness (%)

3.4

   Heterogenous (%)

73.1

 Neck swelling (%)

6.3

   Homogenous (%)

26.9

 Neck tenderness (%)

1.9

Thyroid ultrasound vascularity

 Weight loss (%)

7.7

   Normal (%)

54.4

 Tremor (%)

6.8

   Hypervascular (%)

43.8

 Palpitation (%)

7.7

   Hypovascular (%)

1.8

 Fatigue (%)

4.8

Lymph node features in the thyroid ultrasound

 Anxiety (%)

3.4

   No lymph node enlargement (%)

62.5

 Insomnia (%)

1.0

   Bilateral lymph node enlargement (%)

35

 Headache (%)

2.4

   Unilateral lymph node enlargement (%)

2.5

 Nausea and/or vomiting (%)

1.0

   Multiple lymph node enlargement (%)

43.7

 Eye manifestations (%)

13.5

   Single lymph node enlargement (%)

17.5

 Heat intolerance (%)

1.9

Thyroid uptake scan (N = 207)

Comorbidities

   Heterogenous (%)

37.4

 Upper respiratory tract infection (%)

15.0

   Homogenous (%)

55.3

 Hypertension (%)

15.0

   Not visualized (%)

7.3

 Hyperlipidemia (%)

11.1

   Mean uptake (%)

19.1 + 14.4%

 Type II Diabetes (%)

19.3

Diagnosis based on the thyroid uptake scan result

 Type I diabetes (%)

2.4

   Graves’ disease (%)

25.6

 Anemia (%)

8.7

   Thyroiditis (%)

15.9

 Dermatitis (%)

15.0

   Normal (%)

4.3

 Ischemic heart disease (%)

1.4

   Normal scan while taking carbimazole (%)

14

 Stroke (%)

1.4

   Autonomous nodule (%)

4.3

 Deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism (%)

1.4

   Toxic multi-nodular goiter (%)

37.2

Medications

   Simple goiter (%)

6.3

 Carbimazole usage prior to the thyroid scan (%)

23.7

   Nodular goiter with cold nodule (%)

1.0

 Carbimazole usage after the thyroid scan (%)

10.6

   Cold nodule (%)

1.0

 Carbimazole usage during the thyroid scan (%)

25.1

   Toxic multi-nodular goiter with a cold nodule (%)

2.4

 Propranolol (%)

29.0

   Marine-Lenhart syndrome (%)

1.0

 Levothyroxine (%)

8.7

   Recurrnt hyperthyroidism after surgical resection (%)

1.0

 Amiodarone (%)

0.5

Year of the nuclear scan

 Artificial eye tears (%)

5.8

   2019

8.2

Laboratory data

   2018

22.2

 TSH (milli-international units per liter)

1.2 + 8.5

   2017

26.1

 Free T4 (pmol/L)

20.3 + 10.0

   2016

43.5

 Free T3 (pmol/L)

9.8 + 8.8

Biochemical diagnosis

 Antithyroid peroxidase antibody (IU/mL)

322.2 + 531.8

   Subclinical hyperthyroidism

42.5

 Antithyroglobulin antibody (IU/mL)

336.2 + 901.1

   Hyperthyroidism

43.5

 Vitamin D (ng/mL)

22.0 + 9.8

   Euthyroidism

8.2

 Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (mm/hr)

32.5 + 22.8

   T3 thyro-toxicosis

1.4

 C-Reactive protein (CRP) (mg/L)

10.0 + 10.9

   Hypothyroidism

1.4

   Subclinical hypothyroidism

1.9