Does subclinical hypothyroidism affect lipid and epicardial fat tissue thickness in children?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to measure serum lipid levels and epicardial adipose tissue thickness in patients determined with subclinical hypothyroidism. Methods: The study included 61 paediatric patients with a diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism and a control group of 61 healthy children. The thyroid hormone levels, lipid parameters and epicardial adipose tissue thickness were examined in all the patients. Results: The mean epicardial adipose tissue thickness of the subclinical hypothyroidism patients was higher than that of the control group but not at a level of statistical significance (4.15±0.91 vs 4.06±0.99, p=0.598). The mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of the subclinical hypothyroidism group was statistically lower than that of the control group (p=0.040). Conclusion: The results of this study showed a significant decrease in the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of children with subclinical hypothyroidism. No significant increase was seen in the epicardial adipose tissue thickness of the children with subclinical hypothyroidism. This is the first study to have examined epicardial adipose tissue thickness in children with subclinical hypothyroidism.