The propensity score matching was performed using multiple key baseline covariates, including age at index date, sex, race/ethnicity (White, Black or African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, other race), comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, disorders of bone density, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, malignancy of breast, vocal cord paralysis, hypoparathyroidism), selected procedures, medications (e.g., levothyroxine, targeted therapies), and laboratory parameters (e.g., thyrotropin, free thyroxine, calcium, creatinine, albumin, hemoglobin). The gene discussed is ALB; the disease is hypothyroidism.