Abstract

Subclinical hypothyroidism is an asymptomatic illness characterized by elevated serum thyrotropin and normal values of thyroid hormones. Currently, epidemiological studies have suggested a positive relationship between serum thyrotropin and body mass index, although the primary source of this relationship is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether serum thyrotropin concentrations are associated with body mass index in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. This is an observational, cross-sectional and analytical study, carried out in the Mexican Social Security Institute’s General Hospital No. 1 in Chihuahua. Weight, height, concentrations of serum thyrotropin, age, sex and smoking status data were collected from the clinical records of 128 patients diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism. We found that in higher categories of BMI we found higher means of serum thyrotropin: 5.92 μIU/mL for normal BMIs, 6.14 μIU/mL for overweight, 6.41 μIU/mL for obesity class I, and 7.03 μIU/mL for obesity classes II and II, P for trend

Key words: Thyrotropin, TSH, BMI, subclinical hypothyroidism