Evaluation of BMI and Lipids Profile in Type 2 Diabetic Subjects with Low and Raised Levels of Thyroid Hormone in Calabar, Nigeria

Relationship between lipid levels and BMI was investigated in euthyroid, hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, general Type 2 diabetics, and non-diabetic control subjects. FT4, T4, T3 and TSH did not differ in obese and non-obese diabetics but were higher in diabetics than in non-diabetics (p = 0.015, 0.012, 0.0164 respectively). Levels of FT4 correlated with TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C, TG and HDL-C (r = 0.179, p = 0.034; r = 0.183, p = 0.033; r = 0.183 p = 0,033; r = 0.176, p = 0.037; r = -0.210, p = 0.023 respectively). T3 levels correlated with TC (r = 0.210: p = 0.023), LDL-C (r = 0.193: p = 0.025), and VLDL-C (r = 0.244: p = 0.003) levels in diabetic subjects. FT4 and T4 levels correlated with BMI only in the non-diabetic subjects (p = 0.022, 0.025) respectively. TC and LDL-C levels correlated positively with BMI in non-diabetics (r = 0.265, p = 0.006; r = 0.249, p = 0.010), general diabetics (r = 0.247, p = 0.016; r = 0.291, p = 0.002), euthyroid (r = 0.274, p =0.017; r = 0.252, p = 0.022) and hyperthyroid (r = 0295, p = 0.008; r = 0.346, p = 0.002) diabetics respectively. There were negative correlations between BMI and HDL-C in the diabetics (r = -0.188, p = 0.018) and euthyroid (r = -0.273, p =0.018) groups. Atherogenic index correlated negatively with BMI in all 5 groups of subjects. The coexistence of both low and raised levels of thyroid hormones in the diabetic population altered the levels and interrelationship between lipids and BMI. Altered levels of FT4 observed in Type 2 diabetics emanated from diabetes not obesity. Atherogenic index is an efficient indicator of atherogenic risk irrespective of complications.