Abstract

Background and Objectives: Obesity has become an important public health concern as it is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, dyslipidemia, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. Moreover, obesity is linked to many endocrine abnormalities, including thyroid dysfunction. Many studies on euthyroid individuals have shown a significant association between body mass index (BMI) and thyroid function. Identifying the complex inter-relationship between thyroid function and obesity may help in prevention and treatment of obesity and thyroid dysfunction, as both are very common dilemma. The present study aimed at understanding the effect of BMI and age on thyroid function in apparently healthy euthyroid individuals. Materials and Method: 84 apparently healthy euthyroid subjects of 18-60 years of age were included in the study. The subjects were classified according to their age & BMI and their thyroid hormone profile was estimated by Lumax chemiluminescence immunoassay (Acculite CLIA microwells kit) strip reader. Students’t test and one way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post hoc test were used for data analysis. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: BMI was significantly higher in older adulthood group as compared to young and middle adulthood groups. S. TSH was higher, while S. T3 and S. T4 were found to be lower in obese subjects. With increasing grades of BMI from normal to over-weight to obese, S. TSH values increased whereas S. T3 and S. T4 values were found to be decreased. The thyroid hormone profile does not shows any significance difference in different age group of normal and obese subjects Conclusion: Obesity is associated with decreased thyroid gland function while age does not significantly affect the thyroid function.

Authors and Affiliations