Prevalence of Hyperthyroidism among Students Aged 6 to 14 Years in Dessie City, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Hyperthyroidism is a pathologic syndrome in which excess thyroid hormone is synthesized and secreted by the thyroid gland, resulting in the hyper metabolic state of thyrotoxicosis. Therefore, this study aimed to determine hyperthyroidism among students aged 6 to 14 years in the city of Dessie, Amhara region, Ethiopia, from April to June 2019.
Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was used, and a systematic random sampling technique was applied to select study participants. Socio-demographic characteristics were assessed using a pretested questionnaire, and Blood samples were collected to measure serum thyroid stimulating hormone), free tetraiodothyronine levels, and tri-iodothyronine levels determined via chemiluminescence immunoassays run on an automated Maglumi 800 Hormone Analyzer. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered Epi Info Data version 3.1 and then exported to SPSS version 21 software for statistical testing.
Results: A total of 564 school-aged children were included in the study. Of 564 students, only 22 (3.9%) had
hyperthyroidism, and 542 did not have hypothyroidism (96.1%), The most common age group was 6–8 years with hyperthyroidism (15.2%), and the female sex was more prevalent (54.5%) than male (45.5%).
Conclusions and Recommendations: In this study, the prevalence of hyperthyroidism among students aged 6 to 14 years was 3.9. It was more prevalent in female students in the age group of 6–8 years old. In such cases, more determinant explanatory studies are advised.