Mobile Phone Use and Risk of Thyroid Gland Lesions Detected by Ultrasonography

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.