The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health problem globally. There are many studies, which show high prevalence of thyroid disorders in patients with type 2 DM. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with type 2 DM.

90 patients with type 2 DM aged between 40-70 years were studied. Following a detailed history, all patients were evaluated for thyroid dysfunction by testing thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4). The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and its correlation with age, gender, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and duration of DM were studied.

Out of 90 patients studied, 16 were found to have thyroid dysfunction. The most common thyroid abnormality was subclinical hypothyroidism followed by hypothyroidism; furthermore, thyroid abnormality was seen mostly in patients aged more than 60 and in those with uncontrolled DM.

Patients with type 2 DM should be screened for thyroid dysfunction, especially those with poor diabetic control.