Lack of Association Between Depression and Subclinical Hypothyroidism in Adolescents Presenting for Routine Physical Examinations.

Background

There are conflicting results in the existing studies regarding the association between depression and subclinical hypothyroidism in adolescents. Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels above the reference range without signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Objectives

The focus of this study is to determine whether there is any association between depression and subclinical hypothyroidism, (as defined by the serum TSH levels) in a population of healthy adolescents.

Design

Quantitative-based cross-sectional study of a representative subset of the adolescent population.

Methods

We carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and subclinical hypothyroidism, in adolescents presenting for annual physical examinations during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, a period deemed high for adolescent depression. All the adolescents were screened for depression by the PHQ-9 screening tool and had their TSH measured.

Results

Of the 304 subjects analyzed, 179 (58.88%) were minimally or not depressed according to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) screening tool (mean PHQ 1.80 ± 1.49). 70 (23.03%) had mild depression (mean PHQ 6.59 ± 1.46), 50 (16.45%) had moderate depression (mean PHQ 13.70 ± 2.75), and 5 (1.64%) had severe depression (mean PHQ 21.40 ± 1.67). Mean TSH values were 1.93 ± 0.99, 1.77 ± 1.05, 2.10 ± 0.98, and 1.57 ± 0.32 mIU/L, respectively in the four groups. All values were within the recommended range of 0.50 to 4.30 mIU/L, without statistically significant inter-group differences.

Conclusion

We conclude that there is no statistically significant association between depression and subclinical hypothyroidism, in a population of adolescents presenting for physical examinations, and if the screening for depression by the PHQ-9 tool indicates depression, a screening TSH test for subclinical hypothyroidism is not justified.

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2024.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.