Associations of thyroid feedback quantile-based index with diabetes in euthyroid adults in the United States and China

Abstract

Background

We aimed to investigate the associations between thyroid hormone sensitivity indices and diabetes in euthyroid adults in the United States and China.

Methods

2296 euthyroid adults from the NHANES in the United States and 8319 euthyroid adults from the SPEED-Shunde in China were involved. The thyroid sensitivity indices, namely TFQIFT4 and TFQIFT3, were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline analysis, and general ordinal logit regression were utilized.

Results

In the NHANES, compared with participants in quartile 1st (Q1), those in Q4 of TFQI_FT3 (OR 2.12, 95% CI (1.18, 3.81)) and those in Q3 of TFQI_FT4 (OR 2.31, 95% CI (1.18, 4.53)) (both P _{for trend} < 0.05) were associated with a greater prevalence of diabetes. In the SPEED-Shunde, compared with participants in Q1, those in Q4 of TFQI_FT3 had a greater prevalence of diabetes (OR 1.36, 95% CI (1.11, 1.66) (P _{for trend} < 0.05), while no significant associations between TFQI_FT4 and diabetes were found.

Conclusions

TFQI_FT3 was associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes both in the United States and China. However, TFQI_FT4 was only associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes in the United States, not in China. Further prospective cohort studies are necessary to validate these findings.

Keywords:

• Impaired sensitivity to thyroid hormones
• diabetes
• TFQI

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all team members and participants in the study.

Ethics approval

The NHANES was approved by the National Center for Health Statistics Ethics Review Board. The SPEED-Shunde study protocol (20211103) was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Shunde Hospital of Southern Medical University.

Consent form

All participants in the two cohorts provided informed and written consent.

Authors’ contributions

Heng Wan, Lan Liu and Jie Shen performed the conceptualization; Heng Wan and Genfeng Yu conducted the data analysis; Siyang Liu, Xingying Chen, Yuqi Jiang, Hualin Duan and Xu Lin conducted the data acquisition; Heng Wan and Genfeng Yu drafted the manuscript; Yajun He, Lan Liu and Jie Shen revised the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data supporting the study findings are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82200960, 82170800) and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515110682).