Senthil Chander1 , Kalpana Devi Venkatesan2 , Christina Mary Paul3
BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is one of the leading endocrine disorders worldwide. Thyroid dysfunction is a common endocrine disorder affecting the general population next to diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among patients with Type 2 diabetes. METHODS This analytical cross sectional study was conducted from June 2019 to Dec 2019. One hundred and fifty type–2 diabetes patients who attended the outpatient clinic of General Medicine Department, ACS Medical College and Hospital were included in the study. A detailed history and examination was done after getting informed consent. Blood samples were collected and sent to the laboratory for the evaluation of thyroid profile. RESULTS Thyroid dysfunction was found in 27 % of the patients with diabetes. Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common thyroid dysfunction reported (14.7 %) followed by clinical hypothyroidism (10 %), subclinical hyperthyroidism (2 %) and clinical hyperthyroidism (0.6 %). CONCLUSIONS Thyroid dysfunction is common in patients with type-2 diabetes. A substantial proportion of the diabetic patients with thyroid dysfunction have subclinical hypothyroidism. Unidentified thyroid dysfunction could negatively impact diabetes and its complications. Therefore, early and routine screening of thyroid is recommended in all patients with diabetes to reduce the burden of the disease.
