Correlation Between Diabetes, Thyroid Disorders and the Elevated Risk for Hypertension

To better understand the relationship between thyroid disorders (TDs) and hypertension in women with diabetes, researchers in the United Arab Emirates conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study that included 429 patients with diabetes who were randomly selected from a medical records database. Results were published in Women’s Health Reports.

The investigational parameters included age, time since diabetes diagnosis, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, A1c, fasting and random glucose, lipid profiles, thyroid function test, and levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone. The patients selected were divided into two main groups: women with diabetes without TDs and women with diabetes and TDs.

The mean age of the study population was 56.5 ±12.9 years, and mean BMI was 32.4 ±6.8. Most of the population had type 2 diabetes (n=386; 90%), and the median time since diabetes diagnosis was 11 years (interquartile range [IQR], 13). Investigational parameter results included:

• Median fasting glucose: 7 mmol/L (IQR, 3.2);
• Median random glucose: 8.6 mmol/L (IQR, 5.9);
• A1c: 7.4 ± 1.5%;
• Systolic blood pressure: 129 mm Hg (IQR, 24);
• Diastolic blood pressure: 75 mm Hg (IQR, 15);
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol: 1.4 mmol/L (IQR, 0.45);
• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: 2.6 mmol/L (IQR, 1.2);
• Total cholesterol: 4.5 mmol/L (IQR, 1.4); and
• Triglycerides: 1.25 mmol/L (IRQ, 0.7).

Using these parameters, the researchers revealed that of 429 participants, 33% (n=142) had TDs, with hypothyroidism as the main pathologic feature (n=95). The researcher found that 57% of participants with diabetes without TDs had hypertension, whereas 42% of participants with both diabetes and TDs had hypertension (odds ratio, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.33-0.97; P=0.039).

In an additional analysis of the diabetes medications used by the study population, the researchers found that fewer patients with diabetes who used pioglitazone had TD (1.4%), and those using liraglutide were more likely to develop TDs (16.9%).

Based on these data, “multivariate analysis has shown that patients with [diabetes] with TDs were less likely to have hypertension…On the contrary, no association was observed between hypothyroidism and other variables, including age, diabetes duration, and [A1c].”

The researchers also noted that “unexpectedly, the findings of the present study have shown that female patients with thyroid dysfunction have significantly lower HbA1c levels compared with those with normal thyroid function.”

Reference

Mussa BM, Saheb Sharif-Askari N, Sulaiman N, Abusnana S. Investigation of thyroid disorders in women with diabetes in the United Arab Emirates: a retrospective cross-sectional study. Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2025;6(1):161-168. Published February 17, 2025. doi:10.1089/whr.2024.0136