Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Non-Pregnant Females of Childbearing Age Coming to North Bengal Medical College Out Patient Department.

Corresponding Author:
Dr. Arup Kumar Banerjee,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Biochemistry,
North Bengal Medical College,
Darjeeling-734102, West Bengal, India.
E-mail: dr.arup.banerjee@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Hypothyroidism is widespread in sub-Himalayan region and is particularly prevalent in females of reproductive age group. Since the signs and symptoms of subclinical hypothyroidism are often overlooked by the patients themselves, the diagnosis gets often delayed. In this study, we tried to estimate the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in reproductive age group female population coming to the outpatient department of a government hospital in North Bengal.

METHODS

All the non-pregnant women attending the blood collection center of the Department of Biochemistry, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, were enrolled in the study after institutional ethics approval. Women of age ranging from 10 years to 65 years were included in the study to compare the possible difference of prevalence existing between different age groups. The women with known thyroid disease and other autoimmune disorders were excluded from the study. Fasting blood samples of study participants were analysed for thyroid hormone profile. In addition, all study participants were tested for Hb%, FBS, LFT, KFT, and lipid profile. Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 22 was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Subclinical hypothyroidism prevalence was found to be 13.4% in reproductive age group women. The prevalence is not different from the general population as such. The prevalence of overt hypothyroidism was also similar in overall population and reproductive age group females. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism was found to be higher in females of age group 10-19 years (16.7%) and 60-65 years (16.2%) than that seen in reproductive age group females.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism is quiet high in female population and the result in this study goes parallel to the findings of other studies. In this study, subclinical hypothyroidism is found to be more prevalent in both higher and lower age group females compared to the females of reproductive age group.

KEY WORDS

Hypothyroidism, Sub Clinical Hypothyroidism, Prevalence, Sub-Himalayan Region