A DATABASE FOR THYROID-DISEASES - EVALUATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF A NUCLEAR-POWER-PLANT ACCIDENT

The concept of a thyroid disease register based on a relational databa se system with a structured query language (SQL) is reported. Move tha n 5000 examination findings of benign and malignant thyroid disorders have been recorded so far, covering the period from 1986 to 1996. For epidemiological studies these population-based thyroid diseases data c an be allocated to a digital data map by means of the five-digit Germa n postal code. When evaluating the data with regard to the function of the thyroid gland as an indicator of preceding nuclear power plant di sasters and fallout, we found neither indicators of an increased incid ence of thyroid carcinoma as an aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster no r the occurrence of clusters. The data were supplemented by the result s of a survey among all Schleswig-Holstein pathologists involved in th e diagnosis of thyroid diseases. Data on childhood carcinoma of the th yroid were also provided by the Childhood Tumor Register of the Instit ute of Pathology, University of Kiel, and by the Childhood Cancer Regi ster of the the University of Mainz.