Frequency of Hypothyroidism in Patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bahawalpur Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To determine frequency of Hypothyroidism in patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bahawalpur Pakistan.
Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Bahawalpur Pakistan. T2DM was identified based on an HbA1c level above 7.0%, two random blood glucose readings of ≥200mg/dL, a prior diabetes diagnosis, or the use of anti-hyperglycemic medications. Hypothyroidism was defined by high TSH and low free T4 levels, or the use of thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Data from medical records of 669 type 2 diabetes patients, collected from January 2024 to December 2024 using a consecutive non-probability sampling method, were included in the analysis. Medical records were excluded if the patients had undergone thyroid surgery, radiation therapy, had end-stage kidney disease, chronic liver disease, or were pregnant. Incompleted records were also excluded. Demographic data such as age, gender, and diabetes duration were recorded, and patient charts were reviewed for diabetes control, HbA1c levels and hypothyroidism status. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis

Results: Hypothyroidism was seen in 19 (2.8%) patients, with a higher proportion of females affected compared to males (4.3% vs. 0.4%, p-value 0.003). No significant differences were observed between patients with hypothyroidism and those without in terms of age (p-value 0.172), duration of diabetes (p-value 0.638) or diabetes control (p-value 1.000).

Conclusion: Gender significantly impacted the likelihood of hypothyroidism, with females being more likely to have hypothyroidism. However, age, duration of diabetes and diabetes control were not found to significantly affect the odds of hypothyroidism.