1943 Thyroid dysfunction and its relationship with cardiometabolic risk in a South American cohort, cross-sectional study

Abstract Introduction A growing body of evidence suggests that metabolic syndrome is associated with endocrine disorders, including thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid dysfunction in patients with metabolic syndrome may further increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, thus increasing mortality. This study was conducted to assess thyroid function in patients with metabolic syndrome and to assess its relationship to components of metabolic syndrome. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out among 170 geriatric patients. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, waist circumference) and blood pressure were taken. Fasting blood samples were analysed for glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and thyroid hormones (triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone). Results Thyroid dysfunction was observed in 31.9% (n = 54) of the patients with metabolic syndrome. Subclinical hypothyroidism (26.6%) was the main thyroid dysfunction, followed by overt hypothyroidism (3.5%) and subclinical hyperthyroidism (1.7%). Thyroid dysfunction was much more common in women (39.7%, n = 29) than in men (26%, n = 25), but not statistically significant (p = 0.068). The relative risk of having thyroid dysfunction in women was 1.525 (CI: 0.983-2.368) compared to men. Significant differences (p = 0.001) were observed in waist circumference between patients with and without thyroid dysfunction and HDL cholesterol that had a significant negative correlation with thyroid-stimulating hormone. Conclusion Thyroid dysfunction, particularly subclinical hypothyroidism, is common among patients with metabolic syndrome and is associated with some components of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference and HDL cholesterol). Keywords: metabolic syndrome, hypothyroidism, cardiovascular diseases.