Ferritin and Thyroid stimulating hormone in subclinical hypothyroidism: A prospective study

Introduction: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as having elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), normal levels of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), and little to no hypothyroidism symptoms or indicators. In essence, it is a laboratory-based diagnosis. Microcytic anemia coupled with hypothyroidism is related to iron deficiency arising from malabsorption and menorrhagia. The body's iron reserves are indicated by serum ferritin (SF). Based on these data, we decided to investigate serum ferritin levels and their relationship to TSH in individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out at AIMSR, Bathinda's Department of Biochemistry in partnership with the Department of Medicine. The study included 100 euthyroid controls and 100 cases of subclinical hypothyroidism. Results: In this investigation, there was a noteworthy distinction (p=0.001) in the TSH levels in the patients (7.7 ± 1.9 uI/ml) and controls (2.3 ± 1.1 uI/ml). Serum ferritin levels in cases (9.3 ± 1.7 ng/dl) and controls (101±5.6 ng/dl) differed significantly (p=0.001). In the cases, there was a non-significant negative correlation (r = -0.09, p = 0.79) between serum ferritin and TSH. Conclusion: The non-significant negative correlation between ferritin and TSH in subclinical hypothyroidism can be explained by several factors, such as the mild nature of thyroid dysfunction in subclinical hypothyroidism, the influence of inflammation and autoimmunity on ferritin levels, iron status variability and inflammatory markers across individuals, and study design limitations.