The Incidence of Hypothyroidism in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune disease that may be related to other autoimmune disorders like thyroid disorders. This study focused on the incidence of hypothyroidism in seventy Iraqi adolescents with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).  The participants were selected randomly from the Specialized Center for Endocrinology and Diabetes (Al-Kindi Hospital) / Baghdad, attending regular follow-up appointments at the diabetes clinic. The age range is between 10- 19 years old (55.7% females and 44.3% males), serum samples were analyzed for Fasting blood glucose F.B.G., glycated hemoglobin HbA_1c, C- peptide, triiodothyronine T3, thyroxine T4, thyroid stimulating hormone TSH, anti-thyroid-peroxidase (anti-TPO) measurements, as well as, the body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each participant. The study results revealed that 18.6% of participants exhibited poor glycemic control (HbA1c > 10%), 42% tested positive for anti-TPO antibodies, and 76% displayed low C-Peptide levels. Additionally, 24.3% of type 1 diabetic adolescents had high TSH levels and 83% of them showed positive anti- TPO antibodies.  Current study indicates that type 1 diabetes mellitus may impact the thyroid gland and its hormone levels, potentially leading to thyroid dysfunction. 21.5 % of the adolescent diabetic type 1 patient group were diagnosed with hypothyroidism. These findings closely align with numerous prior studies; however, none have specifically addressed adolescents.