The incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in Subclinical Hypothyroid patients

Abstract

Objevtive: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and stroke, in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Methods: A total of 108 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism followed in the outpatient clinic of Ordu University Faculty of Medicine Training and Research Hospital between 2015-2018 were included in the study. Height, waist circumference, weight, blood pressure, High Density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and triglyceride levels and fasting blood glucose levels were recorded from the archive records of the patients. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated. Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) diagnoses were made according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III) guidelines. Results: Of the 108 patients included in the study, 74 (68.5%) were female and 34 (31.5%) were male. The mean age of the female patients was 38.3±12.5 years and the mean age of the male patients was 40.5±11.7 years. In this study, the prevalence of MetS was 42.6% (47.3% in females and 30.8% in males) in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. MetS incidence was 1.5 times higher in female patients than in male patients. Among all patients, the most common MetS component was low HDL cholesterol (54.6%) and abdominal obesity (52.8%). Conclusion: The incidence of MetS was higher in female patients with subclinical hypothyroidism than in male patients. In addition, close follow-up of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism in terms of Metabolic Syndrome, which is a risk factor for many chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and stroke, will benefit in reducing the mortality of patients.