The Evaluation of Epicardial Fat Thickness and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in the Patients with Subclinical and Overt Hypothyroidism

Year 2019, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 145 - 150, 30.06.2019

Abdullah Doğan , Aziz Karabulut , Faruk Kılınç , Zafer Pekkolay , Alparslan Kemal Tuzcu

https://doi.org/10.16899/jcm.577187

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Bacgrounds: The studies conducted have shown that epicardial fat
thickness (EFT) and Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) are  closely associated with cardiovascular
diseases and that this may be an indicator for the prediction of early
atherosclerosis. In this study, we have attempted
to identify EFT and CIMT in patients with hypothyroidism and to reveal the
relationship between them and thyroid hormones.

Material and method: 82 patients diagnosed with primary hypothyroidism and
37 patients from healthy control group were included in the study. The
subclinic hypothyroidism group (SH) was made up of 50 patients; the overt
hypothyroidism group (OH) was composed of 32 patients. Cases’ thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), FT3, FT4, thyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-tpo) and
anti-tiroglobulin antibodies (anti-tg) were
studied. Their EFT and CIMT values were measured. The statistical analysis was
applied to EFT and CIMT.

Results: Compared with the CG, the thickness of epicardial fat tissue increased
in OH and SH groups (p<0,001, p<0,001 respectively). In terms of EFT,
there was no significant difference between OH and SH groups. Compared with the
CG, the mean CIMT increased in OH and SH (p<0,001, p<0.001 respectively),
but there was no significant difference between OH and SH in terms of CIMT. In
addition, there was a positive correlation between EFT and CIMT (p<0.001).

 Conclusions: The measurement of EFT and CIMT can be used as a
marker for the diagnosis of early atherosclerosis both in OH and in SH
patients. Because the thickness of EFT and CIMT increased in patients with SH
who are debated as to whether they should be treated, it leads us to think that
these patients should be treated in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular
diseases in these patients.

Keywords

Epicardial fat thickness, carotid intima-media thickness, hypothyroidism

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