Journal of General Practice

Hypothyroidism Associated with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Abeer Abdul Rahman Al Saweer

Thyroid disorders and diabetes mellitus are one of the most common duo in endocrinology. The existence of both conditions in patients seems sometimes inevitable.
Aim: To estimate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in type 2 diabetics in Bahrain; also to examine and compare some clinical, biometric and biochemical parameters between hypothyroid and normothyroid diabetic patients.
Methods and Material: This is part of cross sectional study that took place in 2012 and examined the prevalence of vitamin D3 in diabetics. 268 Type 2 diabetic patients’ medical records were examined for history of thyroid disease. Other parameters included BMI, waist circumference, and history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, vitamin D3 levels, glycated hemoglobin and total cholesterol.
Results: 7.83% (21/268) patients of this diabetic population had history of thyroid disease. Twenty patients out of 268 (7.46%) had history of hypothyroidism treated with thyroid replacement therapy while 1/268 (0.03%) had history of hyperthyroidism treated with antithyroid therapy. Total cholesterol levels, BMI and C-peptide levels were significantly higher in the hypothyroid population of diabetics compared to the normothyroid diabetics.
Conclusion: Hypothyroidism in diabetics is common problem that should be addressed and managed to avoid further complications of both endocrinological problems. This study calls for further more elaborate studies to meticulously estimate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in the general population and the diabetic population as well in Bahrain. Also the study reinforces the impact of thyroid dysfunction in diabetics especially in relation to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.