Clinico-demographic, Thyroid, and Lipid Biomarkers in Patients with and without Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Paramilitary Hospital,Nepal

Introduction: Diabetes disrupts the hypothalamic regulation of thyroid-releasing hormone and impacts the synthesis of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), leading to disrupted lipid biomarker levels. This study was aimed how HbA1c correlates with body mass index (BMI), thyroid and lipid biomarkers in patients with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: This case-control study was conducted at the Tertiary Care Paramilitary Hospital between July 2023 and June 2024, along with 202 T2DM patients and 211 controls. Ethical approval was taken from Ethical Review Board (Reference number:3795). Data on clinico-demographic and anthropometric variables were collected. Fasting venous blood samples were analyzed for HbA1c, thyroid, and lipid profiles. Correlational analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 with significance set at p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of T2DM among hospital visitors was 8.12% (202/2,488) [males: 60.40% (122/202); ageMedian: 51 years; BMIMedian: 25.68 kg/m2]. Among T2DM patients, 18.81% (38/202) had dysthyroidism, predominantly hypothyroidism (17.82%, 36/202), especially in females (100.00%, 11/11) and those who were overweight. Additionally, 54.95% (111/202) of T2DM patients had dyslipidemia, with hypertriglyceridemia (50.99%, 103/202) being the most common, particularly among males (94.52%, 69/73) and overweight patients. T2DM patients had significantly higher BMI, triglycerides, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels compared to non-T2DM patients. HbA1c was positively correlated with total cholesterol (p=0.041) and triglycerides (p=0.004), HDL with T3 (p=0.005), and BMI with age (p=0.048). Conclusions: T2DM affected less than one-tenth of hospital-visiting patients, primarily males and those aged 50–59. Dyslipidemia was common among T2DM patients, with dyslipidemia and hypothyroidism being most prevalent in overweight males and females, respectively. Regular testing of triglycerides, TSH, and T4 in T2DM patients can help reduce morbidity.