The importance of anthropometric paremeters in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism

Introduction: The concept of subclinical thyroid disease appeared in the 1980s when sensitive procedures for the measurement of the thyroid-stimulating hormone in the serum were introduced. Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined by the finding of elevated serum TSH concentrations with normal thyroid hormone levels. The incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism with increased cardiovascular risk has not yet been fully clarified. The aim of the study was to identify anthropometric parameters that may indicate an increased cardiometabolic risk in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Method: The study will include 140 patients aged 18-65, with 105 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and a control group of 35 healthy, normally nourished subjects without subclinical hypothyroidism. A program of research will be carried out in all patients and it will include: detailed anamnesis and physical examination, anthropometric measurements (weight measurements, body height, waist circumference, hip circumference, body weight mass measurement by the bioelectrical impedance analysis method (%BFP), calculation of: body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip circumference ratio (WC/HC), waist-to-height ratio (WC/Ht) and laboratory testing (FT3, FT4, TSH). Results: Examinees with subclinical hypothyroidism had statistically significantly elevated mean TSH values (6.87 + 1.34 mIU/ml) compared to TSH euthyroid examinees (1.9 + .88 mIU/ml). The mean age of subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism was 44.15 ± 11.23 years (MA = 43 years), and in subjects without subclinical hypothyroidism, 33.80 ± 10.60 years (MA = 33 years). In relation to the control group (euthyroid patients), patients with subclinical form of hypothyroidism had higher average mean values and statistically significantly higher incidence of elevated values: BMI (T test = 7.465, p < 0.0001; 2 = 35.977, p < 0.0001), %BFP (T test = 8.594, p < 0.0001; 2 = 44.956, p < 0.0001), WC (T test = 6.262, p < 0.0001; 2 = 48.865, p < 0.0001), and WC/Ht ratio (T test = 7.372, p < 0.0001; 2 = 39.175, p < 0.0001). The WC/HC ratio in the group with subclinical hypothyroidism was higher than in the group without subclinical hypothyroidism, but not statistically significant (T test = -0.946, p = ns; 2 = 0.622, p = 0). Conclusion: In the subclinical form of hypothyroidism, changes in the degree of nutrition and body weight can already be recorded, which, among other things, contributes to the development of increased cardiometabolic risk.