Prevalence of Undiagnosed Thyroid Dysfunction across Professional Groups in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Cross-sectional Study

A bstract Background: Thyroid dysfunction includes both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, conditions that influence metabolic and biochemical processes, including blood glucose regulation and its long-term control. Objectives: Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction (overt and subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism) among selected professional groups in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and metabolic markers and explore gender differences in the prevalence of thyroid disorders. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study including 401 patients. Data collection was done from 2023 to 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A stratified random sampling was used for selecting sample size such as corporate, education, healthcare, and government. Results: Most participants were euthyroid (85.5%), followed by those with hypothyroidism (13.2%) and hyperthyroidism (1.2%). Significant differences in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels appeared for hyperthyroid and hypothyroid groups ( P < 0.05), with the hypothyroid group showing higher TSH and lower levels of FT4. Blood sugar is weakly though significantly positively correlated with FT4 ( r = 0.113, P < 0.024), and there was a strong correlation of blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin A1c ( r = 0.849, P < 0.001). Gender differences were noted, with males having predominantly subclinical hypothyroidism and females having overt hypothyroidism. Conclusion: This study found that while most participants were euthyroid, a notable proportion had previously undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction, predominantly subclinical hypothyroidism, among professional groups in Dhaka. Gender-specific patterns were observed, with overt hypothyroidism more common in females and subclinical hypothyroidism more frequent in males.