Abstract / Summary
Background: Insufficient release of thyroid hormone can cause hypothyroidism; the etiology and manifestation are different among individuals. Both Anemia and thyroid disease are interconnected and highly prevalent disease. Beside substantial literature about anemia and thyroid function are present but the clear characterization about the anemia patterns in newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients remain unclear, specifically in South Asian population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of General Medicine, Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, from 25th December 2022 to 25th November 2023. A total of 229 newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Anemia morphology was determined among 111 (48.5%) anemic patients and classified on the basis of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) into normocytic normochromic (MCV 76–96 fL), microcytic hypochromic (MCV <76fL), and macrocytic (MCV >96 fL). Stratification by age, gender, and socioeconomic status was performed. Chi-square test was applied; p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: The mean age was 51.108±8.15 years (range 18–70). Of 229 patients, 94 (41.0%) were male and 135 (59.0%) female. Anemia morphology was determined among 111 (48.5%) anemic patients. Among anemic patients, normocytic normochromic anemia was the most prevalent type (54.1%, n=60), followed by microcytic anemia (27.9%, n=31) and macrocytic anemia (18.0%, n=20). No statistically significant association was found between anemia pattern and age, gender, or socioeconomic status (p>0.05 for all). Conclusion: Anemia is present in approximately half of newly diagnosed hypothyroid patients. Normocytic normochromic anemia is the predominant morphological type. Clinicians should perform routine hematological evaluation at the time of hypothyroidism diagnosis and Thyroid function testing may be warranted in patients with unexplained normocytic anemia.