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February 8, 2026Open Access

Examining the association between thyroid dysfunction and metabolic syndrome components in a setting of high atherosclerotic heart disease risk factor prevalence: A cross-sectional study from Kochi, Kerala

Key Points

This study aims to investigate the relationship between thyroid dysfunction and metabolic syndrome components in a coastal urban population at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
Conducted a cross-sectional study in a tertiary care center from December 2017 to January 2019.
Recruited patients aged 20–80 years with written informed consent.
Collected demographic data and measured waist circumference, blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose.
Determined cholesterol and triglyceride levels using biochemical analysis and assessed thyroid function via electrochemiluminescence immune assay.
Utilized Pearson correlation coefficients to examine associations between metabolic syndrome and thyroid dysfunction components.
Of 307 patients with metabolic syndrome, 30.6% were found to have thyroid dysfunction.
Relative risk for thyroid dysfunction was higher in females at 1.509.
Most prevalent metabolic syndrome component was fasting blood glucose over 100.0 mg/dL at 86.3%.
No statistically significant association was found between thyroid function tests and metabolic syndrome components.

Abstract

A BSTRACT Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and thyroid dysfunction (TD)—known atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors—have each been separately documented to have significantly higher prevalence in the coastal urban population in Kochi, Kerala. This study aimed to assess the extent of overlap and association between these two entities, and their components, in such a scenario. Study Setting: Hospital-based cross-sectional study from December 2017 to January 2019 in a tertiary care center’s General Medicine Department. Materials and Methods: Patients aged 20–80 years fulfilling the inclusion criteria were consecutively recruited after written informed consent. Baseline demographic data was collected. Waist circumference (WC) and systolic/diastolic blood pressures (SBP/DBP) were recorded. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), serum triglycerides (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) levels were determined by an automated biochemical analyzer. Triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were estimated by the electrochemiluminescence immune assay (ECLIA). MetS was diagnosed based on the modified Asian National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the association between MetS and TD components. Results: Of 307 included patients with MetS (244 79.50% male: 63 20.50% female), 30.6% had TD with relative risk in females higher at 1.509 (0.989–2.356). Among the MetS components, FBG > 100.0 mg/dL was the most prevalent (86.3%), followed by increased WC (83.1%), decreased HDL (61.6%), increased TG levels (57.3%), and increased SBP/DBP (46.3%). The most commonly detected TD was subclinical hypothyroidism in 82 (26.7%). Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed no statistically significant association between any thyroid function test and MetS component. Conclusion: TD appears to evolve and present independently of MetS in this setting. This warrants their individual routine screening and identification, towards mitigating overall ASCVD risk.

Examining the association between thyroid dysfunction and metabolic syndrome components in a setting of high atherosclerotic heart disease risk factor prevalence: A cross-sectional study from Kochi, Kerala

Key Points

Abstract

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