Maimona M. Ahmed

Thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity in Saudi type 2 diabetics.

Abstract Diabetes mellitus and thyroid disease are common endocrine disorders in the general population. To investigate the association between thyroid dysfunction, thyroid autoimmunity and Saudi type 2 diabetics, a random sample of 100 Saudi type 2 diabetics and 100 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. The mean age was 54 years for diabetics and 55 years for controls while the male:female ratios were 1:1.6 and 1:14 respectively. GAD65ab were found in 26% diabetics and 2% controls (p=0.001). Thyroid autoimmunity were detected in 10% diabetics vs. 5% controls (p=0.05), while thyroid dysfunction was found in 16% and 7% respectively (p=0.03). In GAD65ab-positive diabetics, thyroid autoimmunity was observed in 27% vs. 4% GAD65ab-negative diabetics (p=0.02) and thyroid dysfunction was reported in 42% and 7% respectively. We conclude that thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity are common in Saudi type 2 diabetics. Further studies are needed on the cost effectiveness of thyroid screening in diabetics.

Prevalence of Type-2 Diabetes in Patients with Hepatitis C and B Virus Infection in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and B virus (HBV) infections. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of HCV- and HBV-positive patients admitted to King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was conducted from January 1999 to September 2000. The following data were collected and analysed: demographic data, the presence and type of DM, details of the treatment, body mass index (BMI), family history of DM, serum transaminases, thrombocytopenia, and presence of liver cirrhosis on liver biopsy. A total of 399 patients were included in the study. Results: 165 (41%) were anti-HCV positive and 234 (59%) were HBsAg positive. Type-2 diabetes was present in 35 of 165 (21.2%) patients with HCV infection, and 33 of 234 (14.1%) with HBV infection. 94% of anti-HCV-positive type-2 diabetes were older than 40 years and 6% were younger, while for nondiabetics the corresponding percentages were 55 and 45%, respectively. 76% of HBsAg-positive type-2 diabetics were older than 40 and 24% were younger, while the corresponding percentages for nondiabetics were 27 and 73%, respectively. Anti-HCV-positive type-2 diabetics, when compared to nondiabetics, had a higher BMI, a frequent family history of DM, elevated serum transaminases, thrombocytopenia, and liver cirrhosis on biopsy. HBsAg-positive type-2 diabetics had only a more frequent family history of DM than did nondiabetics. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that type-2 diabetes is more common in patients with an HCV than with an HBV infection.