The Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism in the Obese Population and Effect Following Bariatric Surgery

Background: The purpose of our study was to analyze the clinical and biochemical characteristics of obese patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). The study pertains (shown) to the clinical efficacy of bariatric surgery on sub-clinical thyroid function in obese patients. Methods: A total of 130 obese patients (M=24, F=106) who underwent bariatric surgery in our hospital between June 2018 and December 2019 were considered for the study. These patients were further divided into two sub-groups: SCH (22 cases) & NSCH (108 cases). The thyroid hormones and their relevant metabolic indexes were then subsequently compared using a t-test. The effect of the bariatric surgery on the SCH group was then analyzed. Results: Among 130 cases, the prevalence of the SCH group was in 22 patients accounting for 16.92%. The prevalence of SCH with metabolic syndrome (MS) was in 13 patients accounting for 59.09%. The prevalence of NSCH with metabolic syndrome was seen in 30 cases accounting for 27.77%. Consequently, this indicates a significant disparity between these two groups (P<0.05). The SCH group patients were followed up for 12 months of surgery. The study showed that post-bariatric surgery the average TSH level (6.07±1.68IU/mL) had drastically dropped (2.88±0.56 IU/mL) indicating a staggering statistical improvement amongst the SCH group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The study showed that the obese patients associated with Subclinical hypothyroidism who underwent bariatric surgery saw a significant reduction and improvement in their TSH levels. The prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in the SCH group of obese patients was 16.92%. There was a higher MS occurrence rate amongst SCH patients. SCH could is a type of metabolic syndrome. Post-bariatric surgery has shown a significant decrease in TSH levels and acts as an effective treatment for SCH in obese patients.