TITLE:
Mobile Phone Use and Risk of Thyroid Gland Lesions Detected by Ultrasonography
AUTHORS:
Naglaa M. Elsayed, Saddig D. Jastaniah
KEYWORDS:
Radiofrequency Energy, Mobile Phones, Ultrasound, Thyroid Gland, Nodules
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Radiology,
Vol.6 No.2,
June
21,
2016
ABSTRACT: In recent years, widespread use of mobile phones has led to a public debate
about possible harmful effects on human health. A lot of researchers studied the
possible effect of radiofrequency energy (RFE) emitted from cell phones on the human
body. Up to our knowledge no one studied the effect of these waves on the thyroid
gland by Ultrasonography (US). Our aim was to investigate the possible effects of
EMR arising from cell phones on the thyroid gland using US. A prospective study
was done on 180 participants, 110 females and 70 males, ranging in age from 15 to
65. A constructed questionnaire was distributed among them before performing US
of the neck. Demographic data along with US findings were collected and statistically
analyzed. A total of 46.7% of our participants had abnormal findings of the thyroid
gland more in non smart phone users and more in females. The commonest abnormality
was multinodular goiter (54%). Expanded researches are still needed to answer the
question about the hazards of RFE on human health. All efforts should be made to
encourage users of cellular phone to follow mobile device recommendations of manufacturers
and avoid its possible hazards as possible.