Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Mar 20:12:369-376.
doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S181470. eCollection 2019.

Prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in India: a cross-sectional observational study

Pradeep Talwalkar  1 , Vaishali Deshmukh  2 , Milind Bhole  3
Affiliations

Prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension in India: a cross-sectional observational study

Pradeep Talwalkar et al. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. .

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with type 2 diabetes mel-litus (T2DM), hypertension, and both T2DM and hypertension (T2DM + hypertension) in India.

Patients and methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, adult patients with an established or newly diagnosed T2DM, hypertension, and T2DM + hypertension who were visiting their physicians for a routine clinical checkup were enrolled across 29 sites in India. All the patient-related data were extracted from their medical records. The prevalence of hypothyroidism was evaluated by thyroid function test (levels of serum free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]). The proportion of obese and overweight hypothyroid patients and dose of thyroxine in overt and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) cases (as per TSH values) were assessed during the study. The results were summarized by descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 1,508 patients (T2DM: 504; hypertension: 501; T2DM + hypertension: 503) were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with T2DM, hypertension, and T2DM + hypertension was 24.8%, 33.5%, and 28.9%, respectively. The overall prevalence of hypothyroidism in T2DM (n=1,002) and hypertension (n=1,001) was 26.9% and 31.2%, respectively. The proportion of obese against overweight hypothyroid patients was higher in all indications (T2DM: 16.5% vs 3.4%; hypertension: 23.8% vs 5.4%; T2DM + hypertension: 21.5% vs 3.8%). A considerable proportion of patients with SCH was prescribed thyroxine in T2DM (61.5%), hypertension (61%), and T2DM + hypertension (62.5%) cases. The most commonly prescribed dose (mean) of thyroxine was 50 and 25 µg for overt hypothyroidism and SCH cases, respectively, in all cohorts.

Conclusion: There is a high (>20%) prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with T2DM, hypertension, and T2DM + hypertension. Screening for hypothyroidism should be routinely considered for early diagnosis and effective management.

Keywords: hypertension; hypothyroidism; prevalence; type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Dr Talwalkar and Dr Deshmukh received research funding from Abbott India Ltd. Dr Bhole is an employee of Abbott India Ltd. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flowchart. Abbreviation: T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chaker L, Bianco AC, Jonklaas J, Peeters RP. Hypothyroidism. Lancet. 2017;390(10101):1550–1562. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hoogendoorn EH, Hermus AR, de Vegt F, et al. Thyroid function and prevalence of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies in a population with borderline sufficient iodine intake: influences of age and sex. Clin Chem. 2006;52(1):104–111. - PubMed
    1. Unnikrishnan AG, Kalra S, Sahay RK, Bantwal G, John M, Tewari N. Prevalence of hypothyroidism in adults: an epidemiological study in eight cities of India. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2013;17(4):647–652. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Papazafiropoulou A, Sotiropoulos A, Kokolaki A, Kardara M, Stamataki P, Pappas S. Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among Greek type 2 diabetic patients attending an outpatient clinic. J Clin Med Res. 2010;2(2):75. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cai Y, Ren Y, Shi J. Blood pressure levels in patients with subclinical thyroid dysfunction: a meta-analysis of cross-sectional data. Hypertens Res. 2011;34(10):1098–1105. - PubMed