Correlation between carotid intima media thickness and TSH in diabetic patients - an analytical cross-sectional study in a tertiary-care hospital

Abstract

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is one of the major complications in diabetic patients leading to illness and death. Carotid Intima media thickness (CIMT), being simple and non-invasive, is widely used as an indicator of atherosclerosis to identify early atherosclerotic changes. Insulin sensitivity, development of chronic complications in diabetes, as well as alteration in glucose metabolism could be attributed to abnormal thyroid function, and likewise, diabetes itself can alter thyroid function by impairing peripheral conversion of thyroxine and altering thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level. This study was conducted to find the correlation between CIMT and TSH in diabetic patients.

Methods: In this hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study we enrolled 29 patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. TSH and CIMT were measured. To find the correlation between TSH and CIMT, Pearson correlation analysis was used.

Results: Of the 29 patients 34.5% were female and 65.5% were male. A statistically significant correlation was found between HbA1C, FBS with CIMT (p < 0.001); however, whether TSH was an independent factor causing early atherosclerosis in diabetic patients measured using CIMT could not be established. We found a negative correlation between CIMT and TSH Pearson correlation r – 0.213 with a p-value 0.267.

Conclusion: Diabetes was associated with early atherosclerotic changes measured using CIMT, and hence, it can be used as a marker for screening early atherosclerosis in diabetic patients. Since no association was found between CIMT and TSH in our study, the role of TSH in predicting atherosclerosis in diabetic patients could not be established. Studies with larger sample size need to be conducted to establish the relationship.