Association of Thyroid Dysfunction With Dyslipidemia and Metabolic Risk in the Health Examination Population: A Retrospective Analysis

Summary

This study explores the links between thyroid dysfunction, dyslipidemia, and other metabolic risks among people undergoing health examinations.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the associative relationships between thyroid dysfunction, dyslipidemia, and other metabolic risks among people undergoing health examinations. 305 individuals undergoing routine health examinations were enrolled (June 2023–December 2025). After exclusions, 300 participants were included in the final analysis. Core observation indicators included the thyroid function indices thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4); lipid profile parameters covering total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); and metabolic markers such as fasting blood glucose (FBG), waist circumference (WC) and blood pressure (BP). Participants were grouped into euthyroid, hyperthyroid, and hypothyroid cohorts by standard thyroid diagnostic criteria. Pearson correlation and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between indicators and risk factors for thyroid dysfunction. Of 300 participants, 224 (74.67%) were euthyroid, 32 (10.67%) hyperthyroid, and 44 (14.66%) hypothyroid. One-way ANOVA demonstrated that participants with hyperthyroidism had lower TSH, higher FT3/FT4, reduced TC/TG/LDL-C, elevated HDL-C, higher FBG, lower WC/diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mild systolic blood pressure (SBP) rise (all p < 0.05) than euthyroidism; hypothyroidism showed the opposite (all p. < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed TSH positively correlated with TC, TG, LDL-C, FBG, WC, SBP, and DBP, and negatively correlated with HDL-C. FT3 and FT4 were negatively correlated with TC, TG, LDL-C, and positively correlated with HDL-C. Both markers had negative correlations with WC and DBP, with FT4 showing a moderate correlation with WC. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed independent associations of dyslipidemia and metabolic abnormalities with thyroid dysfunction in health examination populations. Thyroid dysfunction is closely associated with lipid and metabolic disturbances, and these indicators provide a valuable reference for population screening for chronic diseases. This study was limited by its single-center cross-sectional design, small sample size, and insufficient stratification of thyroid dysfunction subtypes.

Introduction

As population aging accelerates across China and residents’ lifestyles undergo profound shifts, chronic noncommunicable diseases have emerged as the primary public health threat to the health examination population. Among these conditions, the incidence of thyroid dysfunction and dyslipidemia has been on a steady rise, with their comorbidity becoming an increasingly prominent issue that places a heavy burden on chronic disease prevention and control at the health examination population level¹. The thyroid, a vital endocrine gland in the human body, secretes thyroid hormones that regulate the entire process of material and energy metabolis....

Protocol

This study was conducted in strict accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by Qingdao Special Servicemen Recuperation Center of PLA Navy Ethics Committee (Approval Number: QDTLLL2023-024). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment.

Participant recruitment and study design
A total of 305 residents who underwent routine health examinations at the Navy Qingdao Special Service Recuperation Center between June 2023 and December 2025 were initially enrolled. After screening and application of exclusion criteria, 300 participants were included in the ....

Results

Disease distribution
Among the 300 participants included in the study, 76 participants were diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction, accounting for 25.33% of the total study population. This subgroup included 32 cases of hyperthyroidism (10.67%) and 44 cases of hypothyroidism (14.67%). In addition, dyslipidemia was identified in 120 participants (40.00%), whereas metabolic abnormality was detected in 130 participants (43.33%) (Table 1).

Baseline charact.......

Discussion

A total of 300 residents undergoing routine physical examinations were enrolled in this study; 74.67% had normal thyroid function, 10.67% were diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and 14.66% with hypothyroidism. These figures indicate that thyroid dysfunction has a relatively high prevalence in the general health examination population, making it a notable disease category that cannot be overlooked in the prevention and control of chronic diseases at the health examination population level. Results of univariate analysis show.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Automatic biochemistry analyzer	Roche Diagnostics GmbH	cobas 8000	Lipid profiles including TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and FBG were determined.
Automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer	Roche Diagnostics GmbH	cobas 6000 e 601	Thyroid function indicators including TSH, FT3 and FT4 were measured.
Centrifuge	Shanghai Anting Scientific Instrument Factory	LXJ-IIB	Centrifuge the blood sample to separate serum.
Electronic sphygmomanometer	A&D Electronics (Shenzhen) Co.,Ltd.	TM-2656VP	Measure blood pressure.
FT3 assay kit	Abbott Laboratories	03P6030	Measure FT3
FT4 assay kit	Abbott Laboratories	03P6040	Measure FT4
Glucose assay kit	Roche Diagnostics	04718667190	Measure FBG
HDL-C kit	Roche Diagnostics	04718900190	Measure HDL-C
LDL-C kit	Roche Diagnostics	04718918190	Measure LDL-C
Professional medical soft tape	Shanghai Yiren Medical Equipment Co., Ltd.	YC-R01	Measure WC
SPSS software	IBM	SPSS 27.0	Statistical analysis
Statistical software	Heinrich - Heine - Universität Düsseldorf	G*Power 3.1.9.7	Sample size calculation
TC kit	Roche Diagnostics	04718888190	Measure TC
TG kit	Roche Diagnostics	04718896190	Measure TG
TSH assay kit	Abbott Laboratories	03P6020	Measure TSH