Prevalence of Hypothyroidism and Its Associated Risk Factors in Arar City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder worldwide. The prevalence of hypothyroidism depends on many factors, such as age, sex and geographical factors. Objective: This study is carried out to assess the prevalence of hypothyroidism and the related etiology and risks in the general population of Arar city, northern border of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Arar, Northern Saudi Arabia. A multistage stratified random sampling technique was used. A pre-designed online questionnaire was distributed among the targeted population and filled by participants after a brief introduction or explanation of the idea of the research to the public. Sampled participants filled out the self-reported predesigned questionnaire to collect socioeconomic and thyroid diseases related data. Results: In our study, the prevalence of hypothyroidism was 25.5% (116/454), females are more affected than males, as 57.7% of the cases were female, most of them (80%) aged 21-60 years old and 40% of the cases has a family history of the disease. 64.7% of the cases were on medical treatment but only 16% of them responded. While surgical treatment were found in only 8% of the cases. Conclusion: Hypothyroidism is prevalent in Arar, Northern Saudi Arabia, females were more affected than males. Knowledge of factors influencing thyroid dysfunction help the public to guard against these prevalent diseases. More studies should be carried out in Arar city to stress on the individual thyroid disorder. The studies should be community based with clinical and laboratory diagnosis of cases.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Thyroid Abnormalities and Its Association with Anemia in ASIR Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In another study, Moussa et al reported that 175 patients, 98 (71 females and 27 males) had hypothyroidism [35]. Similarly, Alrowaili et al (2018) demonstrated that the prevalence of hypothyroidism was 25.5% and that the disease was more prevalent among females than males [38]. In general, females were found to be the majority of those with thyroid dysfunction in this study.…”

Evaluation of Age and Gender-Related Patterns in Clinical Features and Hematological Findings Among Hypothyroidism Patients in the Al-Jouf Region of Saudi Arabia: A Hospital-Based Study

“…This distribution aligns with the generally higher prevalence of hypothyroidism in females and an increased incidence observed with advancing age. Predominance of females and similar age patterns has been observed in other studies done by Alruwaili et al, 2018; Aljabri et al, 2019 and Alqahtani, 2021 [9,10,18]. However, in a study done by Senthilkumaran et al, 2015, they found that the majority of female participants were between the ages of 55 and 67 years [19].…”

“…Many of the risk factors highlighted are potentially modifiable, which emphasizes the importance of public health programs in tackling the disorder [7]. Alruwaili et al, 2018, in a study in Arar City, Saudi Arabia, observed that the prevalence of hypothyroidism was 25.5% and females (57.7%) were more affected than males and 40% of the cases had a positive family history [9]. Aljabri et al, 2019, observed that hypothyroidism was highly prevalent in a cohort of Saudis.…”

Hypothyroidism Among College Students and Its Association With Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…However, higher prevalence rates were reported in other studies in the kingdom exclusively in women. From Arar, a prevalence rate of 25.5% was reported in those aged 21-60 years old [ 9 ]. The highest prevalence (35%) was reported in those aged above 50 years [ 10 ] reflecting age as a contributing factor in elderly patients.…”