Assessments of serum ferritin and iron status among hypothyroidism patients with and without levothyroxine treatment

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common disorder in which the thyroid gland does not synthesize and secrete enough thyroid hormone into the circulation. Hypothyroidism is diagnosed with a low concentration of plasma thyroxin (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) with an elevation in the concentration of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Hypothyroidism symptoms include tiredness, weight gain, loss of concentration, and be unable to tolerate cold temperatures. The main treatment for hypothyroidism is hormone replacement therapy with levothyroxine.

Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2022 and April 2023. Sixty males and females were enrolled in the study, ages 25 to 50. All samples were collected from the private medical laboratory and general hospitals in Baghdad city. These patients were classified into 2 groups; Group 1 included 30 patients newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism without thyroid hormone therapy and Group 2 included 30 hypothyroid patients treated with levothyroxine.

 Results: According to the results there were no significant differences in mean patient’s age (p=0.317) and gender distribution (p=0.584) between the three studied groups. There were also significantly lower T3 and T4 levels and significantly higher TSH levels among untreated hypothyroid patients (p< 0.001). Serum iron levels and serum transferrin saturation were significantly higher among levothyroxine-treated patients (p< 0.001); although total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and serum ferritin levels were significantly higher among untreated patients (Group 1) (p < 0.001 and p=0.006 respectively).