Epidemiology

The prevalence of hyperthyroidism in women in the UK is between 0.5% and 2%; however, toxic thyroid adenoma is a rare cause.[3] In one UK study, the prevalence of single thyroid nodules was 3%.[3] In adult women in the Netherlands the prevalence of thyrotoxicosis has been estimated at 0.8 cases per 1000 population; and in the Stockholm area of Sweden, the incidence of solitary toxic adenoma has been estimated at 3.3 cases per 100,000 people per year.[4][5] In the US, toxic adenomas are most common in younger adults (age 20 to 40 years) and account for about 5% of cases of hyperthyroidism.[6]

Thyrotoxicosis develops at a rate of about 4% per year in euthyroid patients with autonomous adenomas.[7] However, this rate depends on several factors, including the size of the adenoma, iodine intake, and age.[7] In iodine-deficient areas, toxic adenomas and toxic nodular goitres are more common causes of hyperthyroidism than is Graves' disease.[8] IGN: global scorecard of iodine nutrition in 2021 Opens in new window

Toxic thyroid adenomas in children are rare, and evidence about them is limited.[9]

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