The Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome among Adult Filipinos with Hypothyroidism: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives. Dyslipidemia in hypothyroidism results from the effects of thyroid hormones on
lipid metabolism. These, in combination with hypothyroidism-induced hemodynamic changes, are risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases. We determined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) among adult Filipinos with hypothyroidism and compared clinical and laboratory characteristics of those with versus without MS.

Methods. This is a retrospective study of 105 patients with biochemically confirmed hypothyroidism. A review of
records obtained anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, and thyroid hormones. Clinical and laboratory characteristics were then compared between MS and those without. Significant differences were determined by two-way ANOVA, while heterogeneity of categorical variables was determined by chi-square or Fisher exact test. All data analyses were performed using Stata version 17.0 with a significance level of p<0.05.

Results. The prevalence of MS is 36.19% (95%CI: 27.04%,46.15%). Body mass index (BMI) peaks at obese class I
among those with MS. There is a significantly higher proportion of patients diagnosed to have diabetes (28.95% vs. 7.46%; p=0.003) and hypertension (52.63% vs. 14.93%; p<0.001) in the MS group. No significant differences were noted between groups regarding age, sex, etiology of hypothyroidism, blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipid profile, and thyroid hormone levels.

Conclusion. Our study showed that the prevalence of MS in adult Filipinos with hypothyroidism is increased at
36.19%. Only BMI, presence of diabetes, and hypertension were shown to be significantly higher. Emphasis must be placed on early screening among hypothyroid patients at high risk of developing MS. A prospective study using waist circumference and clinical and metabolic parameters is needed to validate these findings.