Frequency of Thyroid Dysfunction in Metabolic Syndrome Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: The metabolic pathways of metabolic syndrome are similar to those of thyroid dysfunction, and thyroid hormone abnormalities have been increasingly reported in patients with metabolic syndrome. Objective: To find out how often thyroid dysfunction occurs in metabolic syndrome patients who come to a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Medicine Department, Aziz Fatimah Medical and Dental College Faisalabad, Pakistan, during six months from November 2025 to April 2026. 200 patients who met the ATP III criteria for metabolic syndrome were recruited using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. The SPSS version 25 software was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 36.0% of patients with metabolic syndrome, 22.5% had subclinical hypothyroidism, 9.0% had overt hypothyroidism, and 4.5% had hyperthyroidism; the remaining 64.0% had euthyroidism. Conclusion: Thyroid dysfunction, especially subclinical hypothyroidism, is prevalent among patients with metabolic syndrome and is highly related to a poorer lipid profile and higher metabolic syndrome component score.