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Abstract
Background: To determine the association of
tobacco smoking (whether active or passive) with
hyperthyroidism, in patients presenting to the three
tertiary health care facilities of Rawalpindi.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted from
1
st December 2014 to 1st December 2017 at three
tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi. 810 individuals
were included in the study. 648 were established
cases of euthyroid status. The other 162 were selected
on the basis of their presenting signs and symptoms,
established diagnoses of hyperthyroidism and
decreased levels of thyroid stimulating hormone
(TSH). Visits were made to surgical and medical
ward patients whose state of health placed them in
inclusion criteria, and detailed history was recorded
for each individual. History included detailed
questioning about personal habits, smoking of
tobacco (whether done actively or passively),
chewing of tobacco and specific questions that
focused on exclusion criteria. A person consuming 1
pack of cigarettes per day/directly or exposed to the
smoke of equivalent amounts of tobacco was
labelled as actively-exposed.
Results: Among 162 cases, 58 (36.25%) individuals
were either active or passive smokers prior to
diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. In 648 euthyroid
individuals, 97 (14.96%) were found to be active or
passive smokers. OR = 3.17, 95% CI = 0.347 to 0.414,
P-value = <0.0001. Tobacco smokers/chewers were
3.17 times more likely to develop hyperthyroidism
than non-tobacco users.
Conclusion: Tobacco smoking is positively
associated with likelihood of occurrence of
hyperthyroidism.
Keywords: Hyperthyroidism, tobacco smoking