Abstract

THE LEVELS OF CORTISOL, INSULIN, GLUCOSE AND HBA1C IN OVERT HYPOTHYROID IRAQI PATIENTS

Ali Shalash Sultan* and Dhelal Abdul Khaliq Jumma

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the cortisol and insulin levelsand their relationship with increasing level of TSH in the overthypothyroid male patients. The study was carried on 48 subjects in theSpecialist Center of Endocrine and Diabetic Diseases in Baghdadprovince at Rusafa region, near AL-Kindey Hospital.The study beganon10/10/2014to14/2/2015.The subjects were divided into 2 groups(control and hypothyroid).Each group included 24 males,their agesranged between20-60years.The results showed a significant(P˂ 0.01)increase in the level of TSH in overt hypothyroid patients (41.74±3.61mu/l) in comparison with control (1.97 ± 0.264mu/l).Levels ofT4nmol/L (48.59 ± 0.98) showed a significant (p˂0.01) decrease in comparison with control(80.12±3.09). T3nmol/L (1.31±0.14); (1.52±0.083) levels showed not significantly (p≥0.05)between two groups respectively.Cortisol levels (274.08 ± 9.37) ng/ml increasedsignificantly(P<0.01) in the patients group in comparison with controlgroup(174.33±13.55).Insulin (15.13±1.14) μIU/ml increased significantly(P<0.01) in thepatients group in comparison with control (8.28 ± 0.76.Glucose levels mmol/l in patients(4.84±0.15) and control group(4.98±0.11)were not significant(p≥0.05).HbA1c(%) levels inthe study group (5.50±0.18;5.50±0.18) were not significant (p≥0.05)respectively.Wecocluded from this study that that increasing levels of TSH causing an elevation of cortisollevels among overt hypothyroid patients with increasing insulin levels that too much cortisolin the system can induce a conversion of T4 to an improper form of T3 called reverse T3(rT3)and any increased endogenous secretion of cortisol, altered thyroid hormone metabolismthat overt hypothyroidism causes elevated cortisol levels, presumably due to both decreasedclearance and blunted negative feedback of cortisol on the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenalaxis(HPA).

Keywords: Thyroid gland, overt hypothyroidism, cortisol, insulin.