Prevalence of Hypothyroidism With Microvascular Complications In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

DM and Hypothyroidism are the two most common endocrine disorders in clinical practice. Also, diabetic patients have a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders compared to normal population. An unrecognized hypothyroidism may adversely affect the metabolic control and hence aggravate the complications of DM. So, it is essential to detect and treat the associated hypothyroidism before overt clinical manifestations. This study was done to compare the prevalence of microvascular complications of DM in euthyroid diabetic patients and diabetic patients with Hypothyroidism. 100 diabetic patients, without known hypothyroidism were screened for hypothyroidism and diabetic microvascular complications. Patients were investigated for RBS, FBS, HbA1c, FTP, RFT, USG Abdomen, Microalbuminuria, FLP and NCS. Diagnosis of DM was done following ADA 2014 guidelines. Hypothyroidism was classified as clinical and subclinical hypothyroidism.  Prevalence of hypothyroidism was higher in diabetic patients, especially females. Subclinical hypothyroidism was detected in 21% and Overt Hypothyroidism in 12% of diabetic patients. Diabetic patients with hypothyroidism were found to have higher prevalence of diabetic microvascular complications compared to Euthyroid diabetics. This warrants screening of diabetic patients for thyroid functions. Failure to recognise the presence of abnormal thyroid hormone levels may be one of the reasons for poor outcomes in DM management.