Pattern of Lipid Abnormalities in Newly Diagnosed Primary Hypothyroidism: A Cross-Sectional Study from Nowshera, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51985/Keywords:
Dyslipidemia; Hypertriglyceridemia; Hypothyroidism; Lipid profile; Low HDL-C; PakistanAbstract
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and pattern of lipid abnormalities among newly diagnosed primary hypothyroid patients presenting to a tertiary care center in Nowshera, Pakistan.
Study Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study conducted from October 2024 to May 2025 at the Department of Medicine, Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex, Nowshera, Pakistan.
Methodology: This study was conducted over a period of six months and included 109 newly diagnosed primary hypothyroid patients aged 18–70 years, recruited through non-probability consecutive sampling. Hypothyroidism was confirmed by elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH >4.5 mIU/L) and decreased free thyroxine (free T4 <0.8 ng/dL). Fasting lipid profiles were measured, and lipid abnormalities were defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria.
Results: Among 109 patients (mean age 38.6 ± 11.2 years; 68.8% females; mean BMI 27.8 ± 4.6 kg/m²), 86.2% had at least one lipid abnormality. The most frequent lipid abnormality was hypertriglyceridemia (59.6%), followed by low HDLC (55.0%) and elevated LDL-C (53.2%), while hypercholesterolemia was observed in 34.9% of patients. No statistically significant differences were observed across sex, age, or BMI categories (p > 0.05). BMI showed a positive correlation with total cholesterol (r = 0.30, p = 0.002) and triglycerides (r = 0.48, p < 0.001), and a negative correlation with HDL-C (r = –0.21, p = 0.03).
Conclusion: Dyslipidemia is highly prevalent in newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients, with hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-C being the most common abnormalities. These findings highlight the importance of routine lipid screening and early cardiovascular risk management in patients with hypothyroidism
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