Thyroid Dysfunction And Cardiovascular Risk: A Cross-Sectional Study In Newly Diagnosed Patients

Abstract

Background:

Cardiovascular physiology receives substantial changes because of thyroid dysfunction because hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism affect lipid metabolism and blood pressure and cardiac performance. Regular cardiovascular screenings of newly identified thyroid patients help prevent serious complications from occurring. At the time of initial thyroid dysfunction diagnosis studiers have generated scarce data about patient cardiovascular risk profiles.

Objectives:

To evaluates the cardiovascular risks present in newly detected thyroid dysfunction patients to assess if early changes in metabolic and hemodynamic conditions are statistically significant.

Study design: A prospective study.

Place and duration of study. Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology Lady reading hospital Peshawar from Jan 2022 to Dec 2022

Methods:

One hundred patients with newly diagnosed thyroid dysfunction received entry into the study through a Prospective Study design targeted at participants between ages 18 to 60. The study measured serum thyroid hormones in addition to blood lipid levels and body mass index (BMI) and recorded blood pressure outcomes. Both ECG abnormalities and Framingham risk scores were determined as part of the study. The study team conducted their analysis through SPSS version 26. Analysis used p < 0.05 as the significance level together with independent t-tests and chi-square tests.

Results:

100 individuals with female participants accounting for 74 (61.7%) persons and male participants making up 46 (38.3%). Study participants averaged 42.5 years in age with standard deviation of 11.3 years. Among the participants 68 patients had hypothyroidism while 52 had hyperthyroidism. Total cholesterol levels along with LDL cholesterol levels and diastolic blood pressure readings proved higher in hypothyroid patients than in hyperthyroid patients according to statistical analysis (p=0.002, p=0.01, and p=0.04 respectively). Among the patient group 34 percent showed ECG changes which included either sinus bradycardia or tachycardia. Hypothyroid patients exhibited a greater average Framingham risk score when compared to normative values (p=0.03) demonstrating increased cardiovascular risk during diagnosis.

Conclusion:

Patients diagnosed with newly discovered thyroid dysregulation especially those affected by hypothyroidism demonstrate important changes to their cardiovascular risk element measurements. Newly treated thyroid dysfunction patients need immediate cardiovascular evaluation because they present with elevated cholesterol together with abnormal ECG findings plus increased Framingham scores. Eightfold prevention starts with timely identification and management of such risks to prevent future cardiovascular disease manifestations. Causing better patient outcomes in the long term will be possible by integrating regular cardiac screening during initial thyroid dysfunction testing.