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. 2025 Jul 10;17(7):e87650.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.87650. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Thyroid Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Shayekh Ferdoush  1 , Azhar Hafiz Baba  2 , Fahad Ul Islam Mir  3 , Farmina Ahmed  4 , Sabit Mohammad Subin  5 , Shovan Rehman  3 , Mustain Jawad  3 , Muhammad Hamid  3
Affiliations

Thyroid Status in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Shayekh Ferdoush et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that often coexists with other autoimmune conditions, notably thyroid dysfunction. This study explores the prevalence and patterns of thyroid abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at the rheumatology ward of a tertiary care hospital, enrolling 100 rheumatoid arthritis patients above 18 years of age. Thyroid function was assessed using FT3, FT4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Associations between thyroid dysfunction and demographic or clinical variables were analysed using IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp., with categorical variables compared using chi-square tests, and continuous variables analysed using t-tests.

Results: Among the 100 participants (76% female; mean age 47.2±11.3 years), thyroid dysfunction was observed in 26%, with primary hypothyroidism being the most prevalent (14%), followed by subclinical hypothyroidism (5%) and hyperthyroidism (7%). Thyroid dysfunction was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.0211), older age (p=0.0018), and longer rheumatoid arthritis duration (p=0.0013). Patients with thyroid dysfunction also showed a higher prevalence of fatigue and loss of appetite (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Thyroid dysfunction is significantly more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, especially in older females and those with longer disease duration. Routine thyroid screening in rheumatoid arthritis patients may aid early identification and improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: auto-immunity; hyperthyroidism; hypothyroidism; rheumatoid arthritis; subclinical hypothyroidism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons issued approval n/a. Research paper discussed with the ethical committee and reviewed by 2 peer reviewers. . Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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