Association of obesity and thyrotropinemia in children and adolescents

Abstract

Introduction: Alteration in the hypothalamo-pituitary-axis results in elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in obesity. Aim: The aim of our study is to compare serum TSH level among obese and overweight children with normal weight and also to assess the relation between body mass index (BMI) and TSH in these children. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 patients aged between 6 and 17 years attending our obesity clinic were recruited. The patients were subdivided into three groups; Group 1: Normal weight (n = 24), Group 2: Overweight (n = 30), and Group 3: Obese (n = 70). All subjects underwent thyroid profile along with other routine tests. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were done to compare between study groups. Pearson's correlation analysis was done to assess the relationship between BMI and TSH. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of 124 obese children and adolescents, 72 were females and 52 were and males. The overall mean age of the children was 11.99 ± 2.7 years (range 6.2-17 years). Subclinical hypothyroidism (5.5-10 mIU/L) was present 0/24 in Group 1, 13.33% (4/30) in Group 2, and 15.71% (11/70) in Group 3. The mean TSH values in Groups 1, 2, and 3 are 2.33, 3.03, and 3.35 mIU/L, respectively. Overall, serum TSH did not show correlation with BMI (r = 0.078; P = 0.681). Discussion: In this study, higher BMI resulted in elevated TSH levels, but there was no significant relation between severity of obesity and TSH. Large scale data from population based studies are required to confirm our findings.