Symptoms of depression and anxiety among patients with subclinical hypothyroidism

Objective: To assess the presence and severity of symptoms of depression and anxiety in a sample of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and to evaluate the relationship between such features and laboratory parameters of thyroid function. Methods: Twenty-one patients with SCH and 18 individuals with normal thyroid function were compared and contrasted with regard to the scores in the Hamilton depression scale (HD) and the Hamilton anxiety scale (HA), and the levels of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine, and anti thyroid peroxidase. Results: We found a signifcant increase in HD and HA scores in the SCH group. SHC patients displayed a median HD score = 11.7 ± 7.9 compared with HD = 5.5 ± 4.7 in the control group (p < 0.01). In the HA, HSC group displayed a median score = 13.1 ± 8.3 compared to 6.6 ± 5.5 in the control group (p < 0.01). However, we did not find a significant correlation between the severity of depression and anxiety of SCH patients and their TSH levels (c = 0.26, p = 0.22; c = 0.14, p = 0.4, respectively). Conclusion: In our sample, patients with SCH displayed significant levels of depression and anxiety symptoms.