Frequency and predictors of hyperglycemia in patients with various thyroid disorders attending a tertiary hospital of Bangladesh

Abstract

Thyroid diseases and diabetes mellitus are the two most common endocrine disorders encountered in clinical practice having a mutual influence on each other, and an association between both conditions has long been reported. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the frequency of hyperglycemia among newly detected patients with thyroid disorders. 400 subjects newly diagnosed with different forms of thyroid disorders previously not known to have diabetes or prediabetes underwent a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Plasma glucose values were assessed by the glucose-oxidase method. Out of them, 211 (52.7%) subjects were found to have glucose intolerance (33.5% prediabetes and 19.3% diabetes). Subjects with glucose intolerance had higher mean age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic BP, free T4, and lower TSH than euglycemic ones. No statistical difference in glycemic status was observed among the hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, and euthyroid groups. Having a family history of HTN and abdominal obesity was associated with significantly higher odds of glucose intolerance in the study subjects. Glucose intolerance is frequently found in patients with thyroid disorders. This study emphasizes the importance of screening for glucose intolerance among patients with thyroid disorder.

Keywords

• diabetes, glucose intolerance, thyroid dysfunction, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism