The Incidence of Thyroid Disorders and Associated Comorbidities: A prospective population study

Abstract

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is one of the leading endocrine disorders. It represents 30 – 40 % of
patient seen in the endocrine clinic. The undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction may adversely affect metabolic
control especially fore those with associated comorbidities. Abnormal thyroid function has important
ramifications on health outcomes including cardiovascular arrhythmia, metabolism, bone health and mental
health.
Objective: to assess the incidence of thyroid abnormalities and its association with other comorbidities.
Patient and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 540 patients who attended the outpatient
surgical clinic in Al – Kadhimain medical city March 2019 to July 2020. Assessment was done by thorough
history, clinical examination and laboratory investigations. 381 patients found to have normal thyroid
function and 159 patients had thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid stimulating hormone and free thyroxin were
used as screening test for diagnosis.
Results: The incidence of thyroid dysfunction among studied population was 29.4%. The most common
thyroid dysfunction was subclinical hypothyroidism (37.1%) followed by clinical hypothyroidism
(27.67%), clinical hyperthyroidism (21.4) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (13.8%). The incidence of
thyroid dysfunction was higher in middle and old age group than the young age group with higher
incidence in women (58.5%) than men (41.5%). Approximately 40.2% of diabetic patients in the studied
population had thyroid dysfunction. The incidence of thyroid dysfunction among hypertensive patients in
the studied population was 42.9%.
Conclusion: The most common thyroid dysfunction was subclinical hypothyroidism. The incidence was
higher in association with other comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension. The incidence
was higher in middle and old age group than the young age group with higher incidence in women than
men. Therefore, screening programs is essential for early diagnosis and treatment.