Abstract
Background: Thyroid disorders are common in the general population and have shown increasing prevalence with advancing age.
Objective: To evaluate the association between hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus (DM).
Design: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study.
Setting: Aseer Central Hospital and Khamis Mushayt Military Hospital, Saudi Arabia.
Method: All DM patients from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020 were included in the study. Vital signs such as height, weight, and blood pressure were recorded and blood samples were drawn after 8 hours of fasting for measurement of T4, TSH, Vitamin D and lipid profile.
Result: Four hundred diabetic patients from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2020 were included in the study. The patients who did not give consent were excluded. Seventy-five (18.75%) diabetic patients had thyroid disorders.
Conclusion: The prevalence of hypothyroidism was 18.75% with a female predisposition in diabetic patients. Given this high prevalence, all diabetic patients in the Gulf region should be considered as high risk for hypothyroidism.