Prevalence of hypothyroidism in Kannur; a coastal district in Kerala

Background: Hypothyroidism is an emerging health issue in India and worldwide. However, detail data related to the magnitude of the problem is lacking currently. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, multicentric study was conducted at four villages in Kannur district of Kerala, to study the prevalence of hypothyroidism among the adult population. Thyroid abnormalities were diagnosed based on laboratory results (free thyroxin [FT4] and thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]). Participants with history of hypothyroidism and receiving levothyroxine therapy or those with serum FT4 ≤ 0.78 ng/dL and/or TSH ≥ 4.68 μIU/mL were categorized as hypothyroid. The prevalence of self-reported and undetected hypothyroidism was assessed. Results: A total of 1084 adult male or nonpregnant female participants ≥ 18 years of age were enrolled, of which 508 were evaluated. The overall prevalence of hypothyroidism was 9.6%. 2.1% were already on levothyroxine therapy and is self-reported, whereas 7.48% were previously undetected. Higher proportion of female versus male (8.07 vs. 7.87) was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Conclusion: The prevalence of hypothyroidism was high, affecting approximately 9.6% of adult in the study population. Female gender (odds ratio = 1.791) were found to have significant association with hypothyroidism.