Thyroid Dysfunction in Patient with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding in a Tertiary Hospital of Eastern Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Thyroid hormone is known to affect reproductive biology. Abnormal uterine bleeding is one of the common presentations in gynaecology outpatient departments and thyroid dysfunction is known to affect its progression. This study aims to find the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in diagnosed cases of abnormal uterine bleeding in patients in a tertiary hospital of eastern Nepal.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in patients diagnosed with abnormal uterine bleeding in a tertiary care hospital of eastern Nepal from April 2019-March 2020 after taking ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Committee. On basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 95 cases of abnormal uterine bleeding were included in the study. A blood sample was taken and a thyroid function test was done by chemiluminescence assay on an automated analyzer. Convenient sampling method was used for sample collection. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data.

Results: Out of the total cases of abnormal uterine bleeding, 15 (15.79%) (8.46-23.12 at 95% Confidence Interval) had thyroid dysfunction. Among total cases, 80 (84.21%) were euthyroid. The mean age of the patients was 33±8 years. Among thyroid dysfunction, 9 (60.0%) were hypothyroid, 4 (26.66 %) were subclinical hypothyroid, and 2 (13.33 %) were hyperthyroid.

Conclusions: Thyroid dysfunction was common among patients with abnormal uterine bleeding, with hypothyroidism being the most common type.