Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Hypothyroidism in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

¹Department of Pharmacy, CiST College, Kathmandu, Nepal

²Department of Public Health, CiST College, Kathmandu, Nepal

³Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

*Corresponding Author: Poonam Pant, Department of Pharmacy, CiST College, Kathmandu, Nepal; Email: [email protected]

Received Date: March 12, 2024

Publication Date: April 16, 2024

Citation: Lamichhnae A, et al. (2024). Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Hypothyroidism in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus. Diab Res. 1(1):3.

Copyright: Lamichhnae A, et al. © (2024).

ABSTRACT

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypothyroidism are two prevalent endocrine disorders that significantly impact global health. The link between Diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism is multifaceted, with emerging evidence suggesting a bidirectional relationship between the two disorders. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with type II DM and identify the associated risk factors contributing to this comorbidity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among type II DM patients. Information on demographic and anthropometric variables and additional information related to hypothyroidism were collected from structured questionnaires by face-to-face interview and data on clinical and biochemical parameters were obtained from medical records. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used with logistic regression with adjustment of potential confounders, and a p-value < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Result: The prevalence rate of hypothyroidism in type II DM was found 32.5%, which is higher in women (44.1%) than in men (21.1%). Some of the comorbidities (>2), female gender, dyslipidemia, and family history of hypothyroidism were associated with higher odds of hypothyroidism among type II DM patients. The hypothyroid patients had significantly higher BMI than non-hypothyroid (27.19 ± 3.10 kg/m² vs. 26.23 ± 3.749kg/m², p = 0.002). Similarly, in the case of HbA1c (p= 0.016), FBS (p = 0.005), PPBS (p=0.034) and TSH (p= 0.002) statistically significant difference was seen between hypothyroid and non-hypothyroid patients. Conclusion: Several factors were associated with an increased risk of thyroid dysfunction in patients with type II diabetes including being female and having multiple comorbidities. Additionally, certain blood markers like HbA1c, FBS, PPBS, and TSH showed a significant association with hypothyroidism. These results emphasize the importance of monitoring thyroid function and related risk factors in the management of type II diabetes patients to provide more targeted and effective care.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus (DM), Hypothyroidism, Prevalence, Risk factors, Association, Comorbidities