Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of goiter and nodular disease in patients with class III obesity, and also correlate the findings with serum insulin, leptin and HOMA-IR.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with thyroid ultrasound and serum glucose, insulin, leptin and TSH was performed with obese patients and a control group without known thyroid diseases, matched for age and sex, but with BMI of <25 kg/m².

Results: Twenty-one patients and 40 controls, 36.7±8.8, 35.9±9.1 years old, respectively, were included. Median BMI was 50 kg/m² (patients) and 23 kg/m² (controls). Median TSH and thyroid volume were 2.2 mUI/ml and 7.9 cm³ (patients) and 1.8 mUI/ml and 7.4 cm³ (controls); P=0.200 and P=0.369. Medians of serum leptin were 4194 and 762 ng/ml (P<0.001). Medians of HOMA-IR were 5.6 and 1.1 (P<0.001). Thyroid volume was correlated with BMI (rs=0.356, P=0.04) and HOMA-IR (rs=0.291; P=0.016) in the whole group. This last association was stronger in the obese group (rs=0.571, P=0.01), but also also present among the controls (rs=0.251, P=0.05). This correlation was independent from confounding parameters (TSH, BMI, leptin), as detected in the partial correlation, controlled for BMI (rs=0.349; P=0.04). The correlation between BMI and volume was related to the serum levels of leptin and HOMA-IR. Leptin only correlated with volume in obese patients. Normal ultrasound was found in 47.6% of patients and in 75% of controls, P=0.30. Nodules were found in 35 and 20%, respectively; P=0.171. The nodules were on average higher in patients, but not significantly.

Conclusion: The prevalence of thyroid nodular disease was not significantly

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.