Thyroid Function Screening in People Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus on Antiretroviral Therapy

BackgroundPeople living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may develop endocrine dysfunction, particularly involving the thyroid gland. Although overt thyroid dysfunction in patients living with HIV is similar to that of the general population, subclinical thyroid dysfunction is significantly more prevalent. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of changes in thyroid function in patients living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy and to determine whether routine thyroid function testing is warranted.MethodsRetrospective observational study including 249 people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy and followed in an Internal Medicine outpatient clinic between 2018 and 2023. Patients with a history of thyroid disease before 2018, those receiving treatment with amiodarone, lithium, interferon, and/or tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and those lacking thyroid function assessment or medical records before 2023 were excluded.ResultsOf the 249 patients, 96.4% showed no abnormalities in thyroid function. Thyroid dysfunction was identified in nine patients (3.6%): four (1.6%) had subclinical hypothyroidism, one (0.4%) Hashimoto's thyroiditis, two (0.8%) antibody-negative hypothyroidism, and two (0.8%) subclinical hyperthyroidism.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was low, suggesting no benefit in systematic screening of thyroid function among patients living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy.