Kosin Med J.  2019 Dec;34(2):117-125. 10.7180/kmj.2019.34.2.117.

Obese Subjects with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Have a Higher Risk of Thyroid Dysfunction

• Kim M
• Kim SK
• Jung J

• KMID: 2467972
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7180/kmj.2019.34.2.117

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The effects of obesity on thyroid function have not been well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of body mass index (BMI) and/or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) on thyroid function.
METHODS
A retrospective longitudinal analysis was conducted among subjects who underwent comprehensive health check-ups at least four times between 2008 and 2017. Thyroid function was investigated according to BMI or presence of NAFLD at the end of follow-up. The subjects were divided into four groups: control (n = 216), subjects with obese (n = 94), subjects with NAFLD (n = 48), and subjects with obese + NAFLD (n = 93). Obesity was defined as BMI ≥ 25 kg/m².
RESULTS
During the mean follow-up of 6.8 years (6.8 ± 1.2 years), 42 of the 451 subjects (9.3%) had subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) but no subjects developed overt hypothyroidism. In multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, after adjustment for age, sex, smoking, and baseline thyroid stimulating hormone level, obese subjects with NAFLD had a higher risk of SCH than the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
The obese subjects with NAFLD had a higher risk for SCH in the future.

Keyword

Body mass index; Hypothyroidism; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index
Follow-Up Studies
Hypothyroidism
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease*
Obesity
Retrospective Studies
Smoke
Smoking
Thyroid Gland*
Thyrotropin
Smoke
Thyrotropin

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