Assessment of thyroid function among the young asymptomatic male members of the Indian armed forces

Abstract

Background: Thyroid Disorders are often underdiagnosed. This is probably due to the fact that most of the clinicians are unaware of that fact that clinical entities like Subclinical Hypothyroidism & Subclinical Hyperthyroidism do exist. Overt Hypothyroidism & Hyperthyroidism form only the tip of the iceberg of Thyroid Disorders. It has been shown in previous studies that unchecked subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in young individuals poses a risk for cardiovascular events in the future. This study attempts to assess the extent of Subclinical Hypothyroidism & Autoimmune Sub Clinical Hypothyroidism in the male members of the Indian Armed Forces. Through this study, the authors endeavour to bring to the notice that Subclinical Thyroid Disorders are an emerging health problem among the young individuals. It is also evident that clinical parameters alone are insufficient in establishing a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and are often misleading, thus biochemical confirmation is a must. Aims & Objectives: 1) To assess the thyroid function among asymptomatic male members of the Indian Armed Forces. 2) To study the distribution of non neoplastic thyroid disorders, if any, among the asymptomatic male members of the Armed Forces. 3) To detect the levels of Anti TPO antibodies among the members of the Armed Forces. 4) To correlate the variation in the T3, T4, TSH levels with the presence of Anti TPO antibodies. 5) To ascertain correlation, if any, between age of the subjects & presence of Anti thyroid antibodies. Materials & Methods: This is an Observation Crossectional Study performed at a Tertiary Care Naval Hospital over a period of 15 months.100 Male volunteers meeting the Inclusion & Exclusion criteria were enrolled using simple random sampling. The samples were tested for Serum T3, T4, TSH & Anti TPO Antibody levels using the STRATEC SR 300 Analyser on the day of collection. The data was analysed using the SPSS software & depicted in figures. Results: The prevalent non neoplastic Thyroid Disorders in the study population were Subclincal Hypothyroidism, Autoimmune Subclinical Hypothyroidism, Overt Hypothyroidism & High Anti TPO Antibody levels with normal Thyroid Function.The Mean Age of Presentation of Subclinical Hypothyroidism, Positive Anti TPO Antibodies & Autoimmune Subclinical Hypothyroidism were 27 ± 8.36 years (p>0.05), 26.12 ± 9.0 years (p>0.05) & 26.5 ± 7.0 years (p>0.05) respectively .The prevalence of Autoimmune Subclinical Hypothyroidism (p=0.0004), Overt Hypothyroidism (p value 0.042) & Anti TPO Antibody positivity (p=0.017) in the study population was significantly lower compared to the results of the prevalence of these disorders in General Population Based Studies. The Serum T4 levels and Age in the study population were found to have a statistically significant inverse correlation (p=0.041) Conclusion: Subclinical Autoimmune Hypothyroidism & Overt Hypothyroidism are the most prevalent non neoplastic thyroid disorders in the Male members of the Indian Armed with their prevalence in the study population being significantly less than the General population. Anti TPO antibody positivity precedes thyroid symptoms & deranged Thyroid Profile. Serum T4 has a significant inverse correlation with age & serum TSH levels. However, the correlation serum Anti TPO Antibody levels & age of the individuals is insignificant.