A study of thyroid dysfunction in Nigerian psychiatric outpatients

The prevalence of abnormal serum total thyroxine (T) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations were determined in 1,584 consecutive patients attending the outpatients unit of the Department of Psychiatry, Ahmadu Bello University Hospital, Kaduna. The serum thyroid hormone levels were determined by the enzyme linked immuno-absorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Primary hypothyroidism occurred in three females (prevalence 0,2 pc) and nine patients were diagnosed hyperthyroid (prevalence 0,6 pc). Five patients diagnosed as euthyroid by laboratory tests (two were in puerperium) were clinically hyperthyroid. Replacement therapy with appropriate physical treatment was indicated in all cases. All psychiatric patients over the age of 40 years should, if possible, be screened for thyroid dysfunction since thyroid dysfunctions often present with psychiatric symptoms.