Thyroid dysfunction and its association with microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in south India.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To study the prevalence of thyroid disorders and their association with microvascular complications among adult type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients from south-coastal Andhra Pradesh, India METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 500 subjects with T2DM and was conducted in a tertiary health care center from south-coastal Andhra Pradesh. Participants previously diagnosed with thyroid disorders were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Thyroid dysfunction was observed in 98 (19.6%) subjects of which subclinical hypothyroidism (n = 66, 13.2%) was the most common. Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) was more frequent in obese patients (16.2% vs 7.6%, p = 0.007) and metformin users (9.6% vs 18.7%, p = 0.0044). Diabetic retinopathy (27.3% vs 8.9%, p = 0.001) was significantly more frequent in SCH patients than euthyroid T2DM patients. CONCLUSION: Among T2DM patients from south-coastal Andhra Pradesh the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction, especially that of SCH was high; SCH was more frequent among obese and nonmetformin users and was associated was associated with increased risk of diabetic retinopathy.

Insulin resistance and hyperandrogenemia independently predict nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

AIMS: To find the prevalence and predictors of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Asian Indian polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital from South India. Sixty women fulfilling the Rotterdam (2003) criteria for PCOS were recruited for the study. All participants were evaluated with ultrasound abdomen for fatty liver and additional biochemical investigations including fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose, serum insulin, lipid profile and liver function tests. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 24.06 ±â€¯5.9 (range: 15-39) years. Oligomenorrhea, hirsutism and acne were present in 58 (96.7%), 37 (61.7%) and 33 (55%) women. Mean BMI of the study population was 29.5 ±â€¯5.28 (range: 19.95 to 45.44) kg/m2. Fifty (83.3%) women were obese (BMI: ≥ 25 kg/m2). Twenty-three (38.3%) women with PCOS had NAFLD. Three women each had isolated elevation of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminases (AST) whereas three women had elevation of both. All women with elevated transaminases had NAFLD. By univariate analysis, factors associated with NAFLD were serum total cholesterol, serum insulin, HOMA-IR, hyperandrogenism, ALT and AST. On multiple regression analysis using linear regression, HOMA-IR and hyperandrogenemia were the only significant predictors of NAFLD. CONCLUSION: Our study reports NAFLD in more than one third of Asian Indian women with PCOS. In addition to insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), hyperandrogenemia is an independent predictor of NAFLD in women with PCOS.

Utility of a Commercially Available Blood Steroid Profile in Endocrine Practice.

BACKGROUND: A blood steroid profile has recently become available on commercial basis in India. In this study, we report our initial experience with the use of steroid profile in the evaluation of disorders of sex development (DSD) and suspected cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) and discuss the potential scenarios in endocrine practice that may benefit from this steroid profile. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included six subjects. Patient 1 was a 46, XX girl who presented with peripubertal virilization, patient 2 was a girl who presented with normal pubertal development, secondary amenorrhea, and virilization, and patient 3 was a girl who presented with primary amenorrhea and virilization. These three patients were suspected to have CAH but had non-diagnostic serum 17 OH-progesterone levels. Patient 4 and 5 were 46, XY reared as girls who presented with primary amenorrhea alone and primary amenorrhea and virilization, respectively, and sixth subject was a heathy volunteer. All subjects were evaluated with blood steroid profile by Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). RESULTS: Patient 1 and 2 were diagnosed to have 11 ß-hydroxylase deficiency by using the steroid profile. Patient 3 was suspected to have CAH, but the steroid profile excluded the diagnosis and helped to confirm the diagnosis as polycystic ovary syndrome. In patient 4 and patient 5, although steroid profile ruled out the possibility of steroidogenesis defects, it did not help to reach at the specific diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The blood steroid profile used in this study is most useful for the diagnosis of 11 ß-hydroxylase deficiency. The utility of this test is limited in the evaluation of 46, XY patients with under-virilization.