Previously published data on thyroid volume in 207 boys and 220 girls aged 15-16 years
obtained in January 1987 (which happened to be just by chance 8 months after nuclear
accident in Chernobyl) in Košice (located 700 km from Chernobyl) were compared with
recently obtained data (January 1992) from 85 boys and 129 girls of the same age and
in the same place. It was found that in 1987 the average thyroid volume in a group
of both sexes was 3.4 ml higher than in 1992 (p<0.001), while the respective difference
in girls only was 4.2 ml (p<0.001). No differences in the urinary excretion of iodine
were found. Though it cannot be retrospectively proven, it is hypothesized that the
increased thyroid volume in 1987 might result from some delayed changes due to irradiation
thyroiditis. The data are considered to deserve further attention.
Thyroid Volume - Adolescents - Chernobyl Accident - Retrospective Evaluation
