Hypothyroidism among Female Medical Students in a Teaching Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Hypothyroidism is a common clinical condition of thyroid hormone deficiency and is frequently seen in women. Studies regarding the prevalence of hypothyroidism among healthy young adult females are very less. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of hypothyroidism among female medical students in a teaching hospital.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among first to final-year female medical students in a teaching hospital from 15 August 2021 to 22 January 2022. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Registration number: 296). A semi-structured questionnaire was filled out by the students followed by a clinical examination to recognize the high-risk group by Zulewski's scoring criteria. Blood samples were taken from those who were having a score of >5 points for the thyroid function test to confirm hypothyroidism. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated.

Results: Among 141 female medical students, the hypothyroidism was found in 3 (2.12%) (0-4.50, 95% Confidence Interval).

Conclusions: The prevalence of hypothyroidism among the female medical students in a teaching hospital was lesser when compared with other studies from similar settings.

Keywords: hypothyroidism; medical student; prevalence; thyroid stimulating hormone; thyroxine.