Prevalence of thyroid cancer in permanent staff of a General Hospital in Ambato.

Abstract

To determine the prevalence of Thyroid cancer in permanent workers of the General Hospital of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute of Ambato, Ecuador. Method: An epidemiological, observational and cross-sectional study was carried out in the mentioned Hospital, from March 2015 to April 2016. Analyzing data provided by the individual medical records of the permanent workers of the same hospital, and finally the sample was made up of 280 patients. Results: Women (65%) and mixed race(96.8%) predominated as well as the professions of physicians , Nurses and nursing assistants, represented by 27.1%, 18.6% and 17.2%, respectively. Hypothyroidism turned out to be the most frequent family and personal pathological antecedent identified by 32.9% and 7.9%, respectively. 9.3% of the series had thyroid nodules, of which 61.5% eventually resulted in a variety of thyroid cancer, which in turn accounted for 5.7% of those studied. Thirty-five percent of the patients with thyroid cancer were in employment close to the main radiation source of the Hospital (Imaging service), of which 62.5% worked within 15 meters of the aforementioned source and 37.5% Own service.

Conclusions: The prevalence of thyroid cancer in permanent workers of the General Hospital of the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute of Ambato exceeds the national estimate for this disease, the greater the closer it is to the main potential source of risk of ionizingcontamination of the institution, which presupposes A direct relationship with exposure to radiation generated in the hospital Radiology service.