Prevalence of thyroid disorders in North Indian Type 2 diabetic subjects: A cross sectional study

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major health burden worldwide with many patients encountering thyroid dysfunction later in their life. Various studies have found that diabetes and thyroid disorders mutually influence each other and both disorders tend to coexists. However, the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and associated clinical variables in these patients has not been investigated.

Objectives: The study aimed at determining the incidence and prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with T2DM in relation to age, sex, metabolic syndrome and other co-morbid conditions.

Research designs & methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 Type 2 DM patients were enrolled aged between 40 and 75 years. All the patients were evaluated for thyroid dysfunction by testing thyroid profile (T3, T4 and TSH. These subjects were also investigated for fasting blood sugar (FBS), post prandial glucose (PPG) glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein(LDL), very low density lipoprotein(VLDL), blood urea, serum creatinine and presence of other co-morbid conditions. The observations and interpretations were recorded and results obtained were statistically analyzed.

Results: A high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction (28%) was observed in type 2 diabetic patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (18.8%) as the commonest thyroid disorder. Thyroid dysfunction was more prevalent in females, with presence of dyslipidemia, retinopathy, poor glycemic state (HbA1c ≥7) and longer duration of diabetes as significant contributing factors associated.

Conclusions: In addition to glycemic status, screening of thyroid disorder should be routinely done in type 2 diabetic subjects along with other comorbid conditions.