No association between subclinical hypothyroidism and dyslipidemia in children and adolescents

Ashkan Habib,Asadollah Habib

doi:10.1186/s12887-020-02318-z

Abstract

BackgroundThere are controversies about the correlation between higher levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and dyslipidemia in children. This study was designed to assess the relation between lipid profile components and TSH levels in children.MethodThis cross-sectional study was performed in a pediatric endocrinology growth assessment clinic in Shiraz, southern Iran. Children aged 2–18 years who referred to the clinic from January until April 2018 were included. TSH levels equal or above 5 mIU/L and lower than 10 mIU/L with normal free T4 (FT4) were considered as having subclinical hypothyroidism (SH).ResultsSix hundred sixty-six children were euthyroid while 181 had SH. No significant difference was found between the mean serum total cholesterol (P = 0.713), LDL-C (P = 0.369), HDL-C (P = 0.211), non-HDL-C (P = 0.929), and triglyceride (P = 0.215) levels between euthyroid children and subjects with SH. There was also no significant difference in the prevalence of dyslipidemias in any lipid profile components between the two groups. The adjusted correlation was not significant between TSH levels and any lipid profile component.ConclusionBased on the results of our study, we found no correlation between SH and dyslipidemia in children. The association between dyslipidemia and SH in children still seems to be inconsistent based on the results of this and previous studies. We recommend a meta-analysis or a significantly larger retrospective study on this subject.

Highlights

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is defined as elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, while T4 or free T4 (FT4) levels are normal [1]
No significant difference was found between the mean serum total cholesterol (P = 0.713), Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (P = 0.369), high density lipoprotein (HDL)-C (P = 0.211), non-HDL-C (P = 0.929), and triglyceride (P = 0.215) levels between euthyroid children and subjects with SH
There was no significant difference in the prevalence of dyslipidemias in any lipid profile components between the two groups

Summary

Introduction

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is defined as elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, while T4 or free T4 (FT4) levels are normal [1]. It is a common disorder with a prevalence of 4–15% in the adult community [2, 3], while in the pediatric population, its prevalence is slightly lower than 2% [2, 4]. Studies have correlated SH in adults with higher levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), non-high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), and lower levels of HDL [22,23,24]. There are controversies about the correlation between higher levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and dyslipidemia in children. This study was designed to assess the relation between lipid profile components and TSH levels in children

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion