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Association between iron status and thyroid function in Nepalese children
Saroj Khatiwada1, Basanta Gelal2, Nirmal Baral2
1Department of Biochemistry, Modern Technical College, Lalitpur, Nepal.
Insights
Iron deficiency and anemia are common in Nepalese children and are linked to poor thyroid function. This study highlights the critical association between iron status and thyroid health in this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Nutritional science
- Public health
Background:
- Iodine and iron deficiencies can negatively impact thyroid function.
- Nepalese children in hilly regions face potential risks from these deficiencies.
- Understanding the interplay between iron status and thyroid health is crucial for this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between iron status and thyroid function.
- To assess the prevalence of iron deficiency, anemia, and iodine status.
- To determine the impact of iron status on thyroid function in Nepalese children.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 227 school children (aged 6-12) in eastern Nepal.
- Analysis of urine and blood samples for urinary iodine concentration, thyroid hormones (free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone), and iron status indicators (hemoglobin, serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin saturation).
Main Results:
- High prevalence of hypothyroidism (overt and subclinical) was observed in anemic (35.2%) and iron-deficient (43.6%) children.
- Anemic and iron-deficient children had a significantly higher risk of hypothyroidism compared to their non-anemic and iron-sufficient counterparts.
- Thyroid stimulating hormone showed a significant negative correlation with hemoglobin and transferrin saturation.
Conclusions:
- Thyroid dysfunction, iron deficiency, and anemia are prevalent issues among Nepalese children.
- Anemia and iron deficiency are associated with impaired thyroid function in this cohort.
- Interventions addressing iron status may be beneficial for improving thyroid health in Nepalese children.
Background:
Deficiencies of iodine and iron may have adverse effect on thyroid function. This study was undertaken to investigate the association between iron status and thyroid function in Nepalese children living in hilly regions.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 227 school children aged 6-12 years living in hilly regions of eastern Nepal. Urine and blood samples were analyzed for urinary iodine concentration, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, thyroid stimulating hormone, hemoglobin, serum iron and total iron binding capacity, and percentage transferrin saturation was calculated.
Results:
The cohort comprised euthyroid (80.6 %, n = 183), overt hypothyroid (1.3 %, n = 3), subclinical hypothyroid (16.3 %, n = 37) and subclinical hyperthyroid (1.8 %, n = 4) children respectively. About 35.2 % (n = 80) children were anemic, 43.6 % (n = 99) were iron deficient and 19.8 % (n = 45) had urinary iodine excretion < 100 μg/L. Hypothyroidism (overt and subclinical) was common in anemic and iron deficient children. The relative risk of having hypothyroidism (overt and subclinical) in anemic and iron deficient children was 5.513 (95 % CI: 2.844-10.685, p < 0.001) and 1.939 (95 % CI: 1.091-3.449, p = 0.023) respectively as compared to non-anemic and iron sufficient children. Thyroid stimulating hormone had significant negative correlation with hemoglobin (r = -0.337, p < 0.001) and transferrin saturation (r = -0.204, p = 0.002).
Conclusions:
Thyroid dysfunction, iron deficiency and anemia are common among Nepalese children. In this cohort, anemic and iron deficient children had poor thyroid function.
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