Thyroid hormones synthesized and released by the thyroid gland, have a vital role in regulating the metabolism of body. Synthesis of these thyroid hormones requires an iron containing enzyme Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO). Thus, iron inadequacy can affect the proper functioning of the TPO enzyme that further affect the thyroid hormone production. Serum ferritin, an index of iron store is present in almost all cells; however, it has been reported that an alteration in ferritin levels occurs in patients with thyroid disease. This study was conducted to determine serum ferritin and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels in hypothyroid and euthyroid subjects and to compare the same.The retrospective study was carried out in Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, which included 30 hypothyroid subjects as cases and 30 age and gender matched healthy controls. TSH, Thyroxine (T4) and serum ferritin levels of the study groups were collected and recorded.The mean TSH of hypothyroid patients was found to be higher (16.12±17.00) than that of euthyroid group (2.35± 1.08) whereas the mean value of T4 (1.01± 0.25) and ferritin (43.80 ± 75.44) were found to be reduced in patients with hypothyroidism compared to normal subjects. All the parameters were statistically significant with p value <0.05.The present study showed that hypothyroid subjects had significantly lower serum ferritin concentration than euthyroid subjects. Thus, serum ferritin measurement could be useful for the evaluation of thyroid diseases.

Introduction: Incidence of hypertension is increasing in young population. Aggressive control is mandatory to preserve and protect public health in India. Several socio-demographic, anthropometric, environmental, lifestyle, biochemical and genetic factors contribute for the development of hypertension in young adults. Hypertension and its chronic complications are also linked to oxidative stress and DNA damage. Methods: The cross sectional study involves 180 young hypertensives between the age group of 18 – 39 years and 140 apparently healthy age and sex matched controls. After obtaining relevant history, anthropometric measurements were taken. Socio-demographic characters were recorded using proforma. After taking written informed consent, five ( 5 ml) of venous blood was collected after 8-12 hours of fasting. 2 ml of blood was transferred aseptically to a sodium heparinised vacutainer for evaluating somatic DNA damages by Cytokinesis-block Micronuclei assay (CBMN assay). Remaining 3 ml of blood is allowed to clot; serum separated and was used for other biochemical investigations such as fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, urea, creatinine and malondialdehyde (MDA). Statistical analysis done using SPSS software. Results: Fasting blood sugar, Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, urea and creatinine were significantly elevated in young hypertensives. Oxidative stress and DNA damage is significantly elevated in young hypertensives compared to control group. BMI and abdominal circumference are also significantly elevated in young hypertensive adults compared to control group. Conclusion: Increased oxidative stress and DNA damage in young hypertensives contribute to the complications associated with hypertension.

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