Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Hypothyroidism can be responsible for lipid abnormalities, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and even morbi-mortality. The aim of this study is to analyze the lipid profile in patients with primary hypothyroidism while comparing between genders.

Materials and methods: It is a retrospective and comparative study conducted on 57 patients with primary hypothyroidism in the Department of Endocrinology-Diabetology-Nutrition of Oujda’s Mohammed VI University Hospital in Morocco.

Results: The mean age was 51.26 years (extreme ages: 7months and 91 years), with a neat female predominance (80% of women). 82.6% of the patients, with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism, had altered lipid parameters. In general, dyslipidemia was more frequent in females (F): 73.9% F versus 75% of males (M). Decreased HDL-cholesterol was the most common abnormality (73.9% of the patients): 76.3% F versus 62.5% M. 42.8% of the patients had high triglyceride levels: 51% F versus 50% M. Elevated LDL-cholesterol was the least common disorder (31%), found in female patients only. Female patients had a higher mean body mass index (BMI) than male patients: 29.6% kg/m² F versus 21.6% kg/m² M. Moreover, women had a higher mean thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) value, at the moment of diagnosis, compared to men: 33.3mUI/l F versus 30 mUI/l M.

Conclusion: Thyroid hormones are known to have an effect on lipoprotein metabolism. Overall, measurement of blood TSH levels should be included in the screening of patiets with dyslipidemia. There is a significant correlation between the high rate of dyslipidemia in women and elevated BMI and TSH value in women compared to men (P=0.04). Management of hypothyroidism with thyroxin substitution therapy (L-thyroxin) can effectively improve lipid levels.