Changes in glucose-lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and inflammatory factors in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

BACKGROUND

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) is a common organ-specific autoimmune disorder, and genetic, environmental, and endogenous factors are responsible for initiation of thyroid autoimmunity. Some AITD patients suffer from a certain degree of glucose-lipid metabolism disorder. This study aims to explore the changes in glucose-lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and inflammatory factors in patients with AITD.

METHODS

A total of 91 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis were retrospectively analyzed and divided into hypothyroidism group (n = 42) and normal thyroid group (n = 49), while 50 healthy people were selected as control group. The changes in glucose-lipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and inflammatory factors in each group were compared, and their correlations with the thyroid function were analyzed.

RESULTS

The levels of serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-12, IL-10, (FINS), and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were gradually declined in sequence of hypothyroidism group, normal thyroid group, and control group (P < 0.05). In hypothyroidism group, the levels of serum-free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly lower than those in normal thyroid group (P < 0.05), while the level of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was significantly higher than that in normal thyroid group (P < 0.05). However, the fasting blood glucose and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose levels had no statistically significant differences among the three groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Autoimmune thyroid disease patients are prone to fat metabolism disorder, and the serum thyroid hormone level has a close correlation with blood lipid metabolism, insulin metabolism, and inflammatory factors.