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Thyroid dysfunction and HIV

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and its correlation with CD4 count in newly-diagnosed HIV-positive adults – a cross-sectional study

2014

Abstract

Prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in HIV-positive patients is reported to be high in those with severe immune deficiency.

However, there is paucity of literature in newly-diagnosed HIV-positive population.

Our aim was to estimate the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and study its correlation with CD4 count in this population.

In this cross-sectional study, patients presenting to the antiretroviral therapy clinic were screened with thyroid function tests, including thyroid stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody levels at the time of diagnosis.

Two hundred and twenty-five HIV-positive and an equal number of healthy volunteers were enrolled.

The mean (SD) CD4 count in the study group was 147.1 (84) and 70.7% had advanced immune deficiency with CD4 count <200 cells/µL.

The overall prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 75.5% in the study group and 16% in the control group.

Subclinical hypothyroidism was the commonest abnormality noted in almost 53%.


Significant correlation was observed between CD4 count and thyroid stimulating hormone, free triiodothyronine, and free thyroxine levels (r = −0.86, r = 0.77, and r = 0.84, respectively, p < 0.0001 for all).

The present study demonstrated high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in HIV-positive patients.
The dysfunction is subclinical in most cases and correlates well with declining CD4 counts.
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
in the results, they found

isolated low fT3 = 7.6% (control = 0) Euthyroid Sick Syndrome
overt hypothyroidism 8.4% (control = 5.33)
subclinical hypothyroidism 53% (control 7.6)



We found that there was a direct correlation between CD4 count and FT3 and FT4 values . There was an inverse correlation of CD4 counts with serum TSH levels

Note:

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as a serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level above the upper limit of normal despite normal levels of serum free T4.
Of patients with SCH, 80% have a serum TSH of less than 10 mIU/L.

My concern would be : do we notice any correlation between CD4 count and thyroid dysfunctions in ME/CFS or Fibro as well?