A Study on the Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Tertiary Centre in a Tribal Population of Eastern India

Abstract

Objective: Diabetes is the most common endocrine disorder and is the leading cause of death worldwide. Thyroid dysfunction is another common endocrine disorder frequently encountered in clinical practice worldwide, second only to diabetes. The present study was undertaken with the following aims and objectives: To know the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and the spectrum of thyroid dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, as per World Health Organisation criteria, without pre-existing thyroid disease attending the Medicine Outpatient Department or admitted to the Department of Medicine from June 2019 to May 2020 were taken as cases. Patients with type 2 DM aged>15 y were included in our study. Patients below 15 y of age, pregnant or lactating women, patients suffering from malignancy and tuberculosis, hepatic dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and those on drugs known to affect thyroid function (steroid, oral contraceptive pills, beta-blockers, and amiodarone), and patients who had proven pre-existing thyroid dysfunction were excluded from the study. Results: In our study, thyroid dysfunction was present in 14.69% of patients among 320 patients with diabetes. Thyroid dysfunction was present in 7.73% of males and 23.74% of females with diabetes. Out of 47 diabetic patients who had thyroid dysfunction, 76.60% had glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C)>7. Conclusion: There was a higher prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with type 2 diabetes. This finding was more common in female diabetics. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most frequent thyroid disorder found among diabetics.