Prevalence of thyroid disorder in diabetic patients

Abstract EN

Background: Thyroid disorders are common in the general population and have shown increasing prevalence with advancing age.

Objective: To evaluate the association between hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus (DM).

Design: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study.

Setting: Aseer Central Hospital and Khamis Mushayt Military Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

Method: All DM patients from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020 were included in the study.

Vital signs such as height, weight, and blood pressure were recorded and blood samples were drawn after 8 hours of fasting for measurement of T4, TSH, Vitamin D and lipid profile.

Result: Four hundred diabetic patients from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020 were included in the study.

The patients who did not give consent were excluded.

Seventy-five (18.75%) diabetic patients had thyroid disorders.

Conclusion: The prevalence of hypothyroidism was 18.75% with a female predisposition in diabetic patients.

Given this high prevalence, all diabetic patients in the Gulf region should be considered as high risk for hypothyroidism.