A prospective cohort study of the risk of thyroid nodules in coal miners
Objective To investigate whether coal dust exposure can increase the risk of thyroid nodules in coal miners.Methods Two large coal mines and one medium-sized coal mine were selected by cluster random sampling method to establish a prospective cohort,and clinical examinations such as thyroid ultrasonography,general information collection and on-site coal dust concentration detection were conducted for coal mine workers who entered the cohort.Thyroid ultrasound follow-up was performed once a year to diagnose thyroid nodules according to the standard.Chi-square test was used to investigate the difference in the incidence of thyroid nodules between exposed group and control group.Results A total of 697 subjects were included in this study.The average working age and average age of 255 coal dust exposure group were(17.6±8.7)years and(41.5±7.8)years,respectively.There were 442 subjects in the control group,and the mean years of service and age were(15.5±9.5)years and(38.4±8.6)years,respectively.The average dust exposure concentration in the exposed group was 1.05(0.91,1.60)mg/m3.At the end of follow-up,36 patients in the coal dust exposure group and 37 patients in the control group had thyroid nodules.After matching age groups,the risk of thyroid nodules in the coal dust exposure group was 1.85 times that of the control group(OR=1.85,95％CI:1.123,3.042).Conclusion Coal dust exposure may be a risk factor for thyroid nodules in coal miners,and enterprises can focus on thyroid health monitoring for coal dust exposed workers.
万方数据
维普
