Abstract
Introduction: Thyroid hormone affects lipid metabolism. Various studies have shown a contradictory relationship between lipid profile (LP) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). Currently, there is a scarcity of regional data on the relationship between LP and SCH.Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted in the internal medicine and cardiology units of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan from September 2019 to March 2021. A total of 900 participants, of either gender and between the ages of 40 to 70 years, were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were sent to the laboratory to determine lipid and thyroid parameters. Participants were divided into two groups based on the presence of SCH.Results: In our study, 179 (19.8%) participants had SCH. Total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was significantly higher in participants with SCH compared to participants without SCH (228.41 ± 35.21 mg/dL vs. 171.21 ± 30.21 mg/dL; p-value: <0.00001) and (131.65 ± 28.22 mg/dL vs. 89.26 ± 18.52 mg/dL; p-value: <0.0001), respectively.Conclusion: In conclusion, this study found an increased incidence of dyslipidemias in patients with SCH. It is associated with elevated TC and LDL levels, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Highlights
subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) was more common in females and participants with higher body mass index (BMI)
total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were significantly higher in participants with SCH compared to participants without SCH (228.41 ± 35.21 mg/dL vs. 171.21 ± 30.21 mg/dL; p-value:
A meta-analysis done on data from 1990 to 2014 found that serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C), and TG were found to be higher in patients with SCH and quoted that the discrepancies in previous studies might have been a result of confounding factors [4]
Summary
Various studies have shown a contradictory relationship between lipid profile (LP) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). In subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are elevated in the blood, but serum free thyroxine (FT4) levels are normal. It is rather prevalent, affecting about 10% of women over the age of 55 [1]. Thyroid hormone affects lipid metabolism, and numerous studies have found that lipid levels increase as TSH levels rise [3]. Serum low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) levels were observed to be higher in SCH patients in several investigations. Changes in blood high-density lipoprotein-C (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels under SCH have yielded contradictory results [5,6]
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