PS2:36 Prevalence of thyroid diseases in sle patients among saudi population

Abstract

Background Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can affect different systems. Thyroid dysfunction is common in SLE. Several studies reported a varied prevalence of thyroid diseases in SLE patients. Objective To report the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in Saudi patients with SLE. Methods Retrospective review of medical charts of SLE patients who attended rheumatology clinic at King Fahad Medical City between 2014 and 2015 was conducted.The primary outcome was the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction; the secondary outcome was the association between SLE and thyroid diseases. Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to compare the distribution of thyroid diseases, and a student t-test was used to assess the association of SLE activity and thyroid diseases. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Result The overall prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions was 26 (17.2%) out of 151 SLE patients. The most common dysfunctions were subclinical hypothyroidism 11 (7.3%) and hypothyroidism 7 (4.6%). Hypothyroidism patients were found to have a positive and equally high frequency (57%) of anti-Tg and anti-TPO, and equal frequency of a positive anti-Tg and anti-TPO (64%) was found in subclinical hypothyroidism patients as well. No association was found between SLE activity and thyroid diseases. Conclusion Our SLE patients had a high prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (7.3%). No significant association between SLE activity and thyroid diseases.