Abstract

Study of prevalence of hypothyroidism in rheumatoid arthritis patients and its impact on disease severity

Author(s): Haitham A Azeem, Ashraf Alkabeer, Alaa Mohammed Hashim, Mohammed Moneer Rayan & Asmaa H Ahmed

Objective: To establish the incidence and effect of hypothyroidism in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients and to analyze whether or not the presence of hypothyroidism related to RA disease severity or not. Methods: We reviewed information of all RA patients in period from March 2018 to August 2019 and chosen all those that had thyroid results recorded in their laboratory information (free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine and thyroid-stimulation hormone). we have a tendency to examined all laboratory results of the sample, to assess the incidence of hypothyroidism among those patients, in regards to the laboratory standard results. We have a tendency to studies the co-exciting between hypothyroidism and RA disease severity. Results: Our study include 1000 adult RA patients (850 female and 150 male) was previously diagnosed as RA patients recruited randomly from patients attending the Out-patient clinics and In-patients of Medicine Departments of Al-Sheikh Zayed Al-Nahian hospital and Azhar Assiut University hospital in the period from March 2018 to August 2019. Thyroid abnormalities were detected among 280 patients (28%) represented as Hypothyroidism 270 patients (Subclinical Hypothyroidism 210 patients - Clinical Hypothyroidism 60 patients) and Hyperthyroidism 10 patients (Subclinical Hyperthyroidism 8 patients - Clinical Hyperthyroidism 2 patients) While we couldn’t detect any case with Sick euthyroid Disease. While the RA patients with euthyroid stat was 720 patients. Conclusion: hypothyroidism is not uncommon in RA and it should be investigated since it is a risk factor for increasing the disease severity. This conclusion may help farther study to improve the patient's prognosis, and to establish public health protocols.