Possible alterations of the thyroid in obese patients

Tamar Goderidze, Vasil Chachibaia, Ketevan Asatiani, Nana Tsagareli, Arkadi Surmava

N4 Clinical Hospital, Department of Endocrine Disorders, Tbilisi, Georgia

Adipose tissue is an active endocrine and paracrine system. Very often obesity masks the thyroid gland pathologies. We have investigated 4219 patients with different degrees of obesity. The degree of obesity was determined by the body mass index (BMI) (index of Kettle). Overweight (BMI from 25 to 29.9 kg/m2) - 400 patients (9,48%), I degree (BMI from 30 to 34,9 kg/m2) -700 patients (16,6%), II degree (BMI from 35 to 39.9 kg/m2) -1419 patients (33,63%), III degree (BMI more than 40) - 1700 patients (40,29%). The analyses of the received data revealed that from 4219 obese patients 1173 (27,8%) had different pathologies of the thyroid gland. Specifically, in 246 patients (20,97%) we have determined structural changes like hyperplasia of the I degree, in 119 cases (10,14%) - single colloid inclusions were observed, in 129 patients the nodule in thyroid gland was revealed (11%), in 243 (20,72%) and in 436 subjects (37,17%) the diagnosis of hypothyroidism and of the autoimmune thyreopathy was defined based on results of ultrasound and the thyroid gland hormones. As we see in obese patients the frequency of the discovery of pathology of the thyroid gland is too high and very often obesity masks the thyroid gland pathologies, but which of them is primary obesity or the thyroid pathologies needs further investigation.

Keywords:  obesity, thyreopathy