摘要：THYROID DYSFUNCTION IS A COMMON CONDITION THAT AFFECTS LIFELONG HEALTH.BECAUSE THETHYROID HORMONES PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN LIPID METABOLISM, HYPOTHYROIDISM MAY CAUSE HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND PLAY AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE (NAFLD).MATERIAL, METHOD.THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO CHARACTERIZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BROAD SPECTRUM OF HYPOTHYROIDISM AND THE NON -ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE.THE STUDY GROUP CONSISTED OF 124 PATIENTS WITH THYROID DYSFUNCTION-SUBCLINICAL OR MANIFEST HYPOTHYROIDISM.CONTROLS WITH NORMAL-RANGE TSH LEVELS AND FT4 LEVELS WERE RANDOMLY MATCHED TO THE CASES BY AGE AND SEX.THE MEAN AGE OF THE SUBJECTS WAS 41.5 (SD 11.5) YEARS, RANGING FROM 18 TO 72 YEARS OLD.RESULTS, DISCUSSION.THE PREVALENCE OF NAFLD IN THE STUDY GROUP WAS 35.4%, WITH A POSITIVE DIAGNOSIS OF 40.9% AND 59.09% IN MEN AND WOMEN, RESPECTIVELY.NAFLD AND METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY ASSOCIATED WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM (18.5% VS.35.4% AND 17.74% VS.31.4%, P<0.001, RESPECTIVELY).THE PREVALENCE OF NAFLD WITH ELEVATED ALT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN THE SUBJECTS WITH HYPOTHYROIDISM (11.29% VS.7.25%, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS.THE HYPOTHYROIDISM IS ASSOCIATED WITH NAFLD AND MAY BE CONSIDERED A RISK FACTOR FOR THIS DISORDER.THERE IS A RELEVANT CLINICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO DISEASES.
