Prevalence of hypothyroidism and its association with academic performance among college-level students, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism and how it relates to college students' academic performance in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on a non-probability, convenience sample of university students from private and governmental colleges and universities. Data regarding students, gender, chronic illnesses, whether or not they had previously received a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, and the conditions surrounding prior diagnoses were gathered using a pre-made questionnaire. Results: The sample size was 24 students, 13 (54.2%) were males, and three had chronic diseases; only 2 (8.3%) reported that they had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. For those diagnosed, all had an incidental diagnosis. The two hypothyroid students complained about their levothyroxine supplementation and were taking their levothyroxine at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before eating in the morning. One of them required a dose adjustment the previous year, and the other required this adjustment recently. One student reported that he felt like hypothyroidism was controlled, one had fatigue, and one had a family history of hypothyroidism. One third of students (33.3%) were in the fifth academic year, and 45.8% rated their academic performance as very good. A non-significant relationship was found between hypothyroidism diagnosis and students' gender, academic year, or academic performance. Conclusion: Hypothyroidism prevalence among college students was 8.3%, and it was not associated with academic performance. Further studies on a larger number of students from several universities are needed.