Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction among Patients with Type II diabetes Mellitus in Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and thyroid dysfunction (TD) are two of the most prevalent endocrine disorders globally. Both conditions have significant effects on metabolism and are known to influence each other. Thyroid hormones play a crucial role in glucose homeostasis by affecting insulin secretion, sensitivity, and glucose metabolism.Conversely, altered glucose metabolism in diabetes can impact thyroid function, leading to a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders in diabetic patients. Understanding this relationship is important for improving the clinical management of patients with Type II DM. However, there is limited data on the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in diabetic populations within specific regions. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from February to September 2023 among 209 patients diagnosed with Type II DM at a tertiary care center after obtaining ethical approval from Institutional Review Committee(Reference No: 367 (6-11) E2). Thyroid function was assessed using thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free T3 (FT3), and free T4 (FT4) levels. Thyroid dysfunction was classified into hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism based on standard clinical and laboratory criteria. Data management involved entry into Microsoft Excel, verification for accuracy, and subsequent analysis using SPSS version 29. Results: The study included 209 patients (61% female, 39% male), with a mean age of 65.87 ± 13.7 years. The prevalence of thyroid disorders was 77(36.8%): 53(25.3%) hypothyroidism,24 (11.4%) hyperthyroidism among patient with type II diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Our study shows a high prevalence of thyroid disorders, especially subclinical hypothyroidism, in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Poorly controlled blood glucose (HbA1c ≥ 7.5) significantly increases the risk, underscoring the need for routine thyroid screening in T2DM management

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• glycemic control
• type 2
• thyroid diseases