Relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and distal-symmetric diabetic polyneuropathy in type 2 diabetes mellitus referred to Kosar Hospital in Semnan and related indicators in 2019–2020

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic diseases and one of its important complications is diabetic neuropathy. Due to the relationship between diabetes and thyroid disorders, the present study was performed to determine the association between subclinical hypothyroidism and end-stage diabetic polyneuropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive, analytical study, 154 patients with type 2 diabetes referred to Kosar Hospital in Semnan were evaluated. After recording their demographic information, samples were received for biochemical testing. The patients’ neuropathy was then evaluated based on the United Kingdom screening test (UKST). The results were recorded in the data collection form and then analyzed using SPSS Statistics 22 software. RESULTS: In this study, 154 patients were studied, including 49 with subclinical hypothyroidism and 105 with euthyroid. The results of the present study showed that the mean age of patients in the subclinical hypothyroid group was 60.08 years and in the euthyroid group was 60.77 years. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the patients’ age, blood pressure, duration of diabetes, body mass index, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and Glucose, and 2-hour post prandial (2HPP) were not statistically significant between the two groups. The frequency of neuropathy severity based on clinical signs during examination and symptoms mentioned by the patients in the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.005 and P = 0.001, respectively). The severity of neuropathy was not significantly associated with thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: From the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the severity of neuropathy based on the clinical signs during examination and the symptoms mentioned by the patient in diabetic patients is related to subclinical hypothyroidism. Further studies are recommended.