Effects of Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunctions on important Serum Lipids Values

Abstract

This study was carried out at the University of Khartoum, faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biochemistry. Samples were collected from patients visiting the Radiation and Isotopes Center, Khartoum (RICK), Radio- immunoassay laboratory. This work was carried out to estimate the effects of subclinical thyroid disorders on important blood lipids values. The study included 120 participants, divided into three equal groups: subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism, and control. There were obvious differences in serum levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins- cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) among the different groups. Among subjects with subclinical hypothyroidism, there was a significant increase (p< 0.001) in the levels oftotal cholesterol, when compared with the control. The LDL-C levels were also found to be high in the subclinical hypothyroidism group (p< 0.03). In contrast, the subclinical hyperthyroidism group showed normal values for both total cholesterol and LDL-C. TG levels were found to be significantly higher among the subclinical hypothyroid (p< 0.01) and subclinical hyperthyroid (p< 0.01) subjects than the controls, while no differences in the levels of HDL-C among the three different groups were observed. According to the obtained results, subclinical hypothyroidism can significantly increase the levels of most serum lipids including total cholesterol, LDL-C, and TG. However,subclinical hyperthyroidism does not appear to have such effect except for the TG levels