Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and carbohydrate metabolism disorders in patients hospitalised in the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology of Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz between 2001 and 2010

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is the most frequent type of thyroiditis. An average of 2% of the population have the disease. It occurs in all age groups, also in children. The main cause of the disease are autoimmune disorders, which results in incresed risk of suffering from type 1 diabetes. Fourthermore, during the course of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hypothyroidism may cause carbohydrate metabolism disorders. Aim of our study was estimate disturbances of glycaemia in patients with recognized Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hospitalized in Endokrinology and Diabetology Depatment of Collegium Medicum University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Bydgoszcz in years 2001–2010.
Material and methods: We examined 54 patients with the diagnosis of Hashimoto thyroiditis based on clinical picture and examination(autoantibodies anty-TPO and anty-Tg).
Results: In the tested group with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, diabetes has been confirmed in 27.8% of the patients; impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) occurred in 16.6%, whereas a normoglycaemia has been confirmed in 55.6% of the pacients. An average age of the patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and diabetes at the same time, was 53 years. The patients in which we confirmed the impaired fasting glycaemia or impaired glucose tolerance were on average 49.9 years old. An average age of the patients without any carbohydrate methabolism disorders was on average 43.1 years.
Conclusions: Carbohydrate metabolism disorders in the form of type 1 diabetes connected with an autoimmune process, as well as type 2 diabetes connected with the increase of the insulin resistance, occure in average of half of the patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.