Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: In everyday practice, doctors often have to deal with patients who show features of depression - it has been proven that in 20–30% of cases it may be related to the ocurrence of another disease, such as hypothyroidism.

Aim of study: The aim of the study was to verify the frequency of occurrence features of depression (based on Beck’s scale) in the population of patients with hypothyroidism and comparison to the general population.

Materials and methods: In the study, we used original questionnaire form, containing record questions and questions based on Beck’s scale (standardized for the diagnosis of depression). 1155 respondents took part in the study - 631 (54.63%) suffered from hypothyroidism (239 - 20.69% hypothyroidism with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis).

Results: The results indicating an increased propability of depression (Beck’s score >11 points) concerned 69.88% of total number of respondents - significantly more frequently it concerned patients with hypothyroidism (75.12% vs 63.55%; P<0.001) and patients with hypothyroidism in the course of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (79.50% vs 67.36%; P=0.003).

Conclusions: The Beck’s scale is an element of the complex diagnosis of depression, but due to the high incidence of depression’s features (both in the hypothyroid and general population) it is reasonable to consider more frequent mental health tests performed by specialist medical personel.