Elevated high sensitivity c-reactive protein in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism: A case control study

Inflammation in subclinical Hypothyroidism (SCH) imposes a significant cardiovascular risk. The aim of the present study was to assess the elevated levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in SCH patients. In this study, 50 cases of SCH and 50 cases of euthyroid were selected. The complete history of the subjects were taken and demographic , biochemical parameters like age, BMI, thyroid profiles, lipid profiles and hsCRP were estimated. The mean TSH levels were significantly (p<0.05) elevated in SCH cases as that of the controls (8.56± 1.76 vs 2.28± 0.65 μU/ml). Further, hs-CRP level was significantly (p<0.05) higher in SCH cases as that of the controls (2.93 ±0.87 vs 1.16 ±0.45 mg/l). Meanwhile, lipid profiles were also elevated in SCH cases as that of the controls. Coefficient correlation analysis showed significant association between TSH and hs-CRP. Thus, increased level of hs-CRP in SCH highlights the inflammatory status and thus associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases in SCH.