Assessment of Electrocardiographic Changes and Associated Factors Among Thyroid Dysfunction Patients Attending Jimma Medical Center, Southwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Sociodemographic Characteristics of TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

Variable	Category	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Age category (year)	≤ 40	84	30.8
	41–60	170	62.3
	60	19	7.0
Sex of the respondent	Male	63	23.1
	Female	210	76.9
Place of residence	Rural	147	53.8
	Urban	126	46.2
Marital status	Married	170	62.3
	Single	46	16.8
	Divorced	33	12.1
	Widowed	24	8.8
Educational status	No formal education	125	45.8
	Primary education	78	28.6
	Secondary education	46	16.8
	Higher education	24	8.8
Occupation	Farmer	41	15
	Housewife	109	39.9
	Merchant	29	10.6
	Governmental employee	31	11.4
	Private	26	9.4
	Daily labor	25	9.2
	Others	12	4.4
Ethnicity	Oromo	205	75.1
	Amhara	26	9.5
	Garage	16	5.9
	Tigre	20	7.3
	Others*	6	2.2
Monthly income	≤ 2000 ETB	115	42.1
	> 2000 ETB	158	57.9

Note: *Keffa, Dawro, etc.

Abbreviation: ETB, Ethiopian Birr.

Table 2 Behavioural Characteristics of TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

Variable	Category	Frequency (N)	Percentage (%)
Smoking	Current smoker	22	8.1
	Former	42	15.4
	Never	209	76.6
Alcohol intake	Current alcohol user	45	16.5
	Former user	60	22.0
	Never	168	61.5
Khat chewing	Current	69	25.3
	Former	80	29.3
	Never	124	45.4
Physical activity	Physically inactive	141	51.6
	Physically active	132	48.4

Abbreviation: N, Number.

Table 3 Distribution of Anthropometric and BP of TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

Variables	Category	Frequency (N)	Percentage (%)
SBP	<120	165	60.4
	120–139	44	16.1
	≥140	64	23.4
DBP	<80	195	71.4
	80–89	39	14.3
	≥90	39	14.3
WC category	Normal	194	71.1
	Increased risk	79	28.9
WHR	Normal	206	75.5
	Increased risk	67	24.5
BMI category	Normal	120	44
	Underweight	78	28.6
	Overweight	75	27.5

Abbreviations: BMI, Body Mass Index; DBP, Diastolic Blood Pressure; N, Number; SBP, Systolic Blood Pressure; WC, Waist Circumferences; WHR, Waist-to-Hip Ratio.

Table 4 Thyroid Dysfunction Status of the TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

Variables	Category	Frequency (N)	Percentage (%)
Types of TD	Hyperthyroid	198	72.5
	Hypothyroid	75	27.5
Duration of Rx	Follow up for > 5 years	60	22
	Patients with Rx for ≤ 5 years	109	40
	Patients with no Rx	104	38
Duration of TD	Newly diagnosed	81	29.7
	<5 years	70	25.6
	≥5 years	122	44.7
Hypertension	Yes	64	23.4
	No	209	76.6
Diabetic Mellitus	Yes	56	20.5
	No	217	79.5

Abbreviations: N, Number; Rx, treatment; TD, Thyroid Dysfunction.

Table 5 Patterns of ECG Alterations Among TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

	Category	Frequency (N)	Percentage (%)
General ECG status	Normal	88	32.2
	Abnormal	185	67.8
ECG alterations
Arrhythmias	Sinus origin	69	25.3
	Sinus bradycardia	21	7.7
	Sinus tachycardia	42	15.4
	Sinus arrhythmia	6	2.2
	Supraventricular origin	45	16.4
	Atrial fibrillation	32	11.7
	Atrial flutter	10	3.7
	Premature atria contraction (PAC)	3	1
	Ventricular origin	13	4.7
	Premature ventricular contraction (PVC)	13	4.7
	Conduction blocks	26	9.5
	Atrio ventricular blocks	7	2.7
	1st-degree AV-block	5	1.8
	2nd-degree AV-block	2	0.7
	Bundle branch blocks	7	2.6
	Right bundle branch block (RBBB)	5	1.8
	Left bundle branch block (LBBB)	2	0.7
	Ventricular (hemi fascicular blocks (HFB)	8	2.93
	Left anterior fascicular block (LAHB)	6	2.19
	Left posterior fascicular block (LPHB)	2	0.73
	Preexcitation Syndromes (PES)	4	1.5
	Wolff- Parkinson White syndrome (WPWS)	4	1.5
Axis Deviation	RAD	14	5.1
	LAD	10	3.6
	Total	24	8.8
Ventricular hypertrophy	LVH	20	7.3
	RVH	15	5.5
Atrial enlargement	LAE	3	1
Myocardial infarction (MI)	ST-wave changes	41	15.01
	ST-elevation	22	8.1
	ST-depression	19	7
	T-wave inversion	26	9.52
	Prolonged QTC interval	7	2.56
Other ECG alterations	Low voltage QRS complex	14	5.2
	Poor R wave progression	4	1.5

Abbreviations: AV, Atrioventricular; ECG, Electrocardiogram; LAD, Left Atrial Deviation; LAE, Left Atrial Enlargement; LVH, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy; N, Number; RAD, Right Atrial Deviation; RVH, Right Ventricular Hypertrophy.

Table 6 ECG Alterations and Associated Factors by Bivariate and Multivariate Logistic Regression Among TD Patients Attending JMC Follow-Up Clinics from October–December 2021 (N = 273)

Variable	Category	ECG Alterations		COR (95% CI)	AOR (95% CI)
		No N(%)	Yes N(%)
Age (year)	≤ 40	45(16)	39(14.3)	1	1
	41–60	37(13.6)	133(48.7)	4.1[2.3–7.28]*	2.5[1.25–5.05]*
	≥ 60	6(2.2)	13(4.8)	2.5[0.86–7.28]	1.59[0.45–5.5]
Sex	Male	36(1.2)	27(9.9)	1	1
	Female	52(19.0)	158(57.9)	4.05[2.24 7.30]*	2.7[1.28–5.59]*
Educational status	No formal education	32(11.7)	93(34.1)	4.0[1.64–10.06]*	0.91[0.41–2]
	Primary education	28(10.3)	50(18.3)	2.5[0.98–6.36]	1.5[0.56–4.3]
	Secondary education	14(5.1)	32(11.7)	3.2[1.14–8.92]	0.7[0.2–2.4]
	Higher education	14(5.1)	10(3.7)	1	1
	Others	3(1.1)	3(1.1)	1
Monthly income	≤ 2000 ETB	42(15.4)	73(26.7)	1.40[0.84–2.33]	1.5[−0.8–2.96]
	> 2000 ETB	46(16.8)	112(41.0)	1	1
Hypertension	No	75(27.5)	134(49.1)	1	1
	Yes	13(4.8)	51(18.7)	2.2[1.12–4.29]*	1.35[0.56–3.24]
Diabetes mellitus	No	81(29.7)	136(49.8)	1	1
	Yes	7(2.6)	49(17.9)	4.16[1.8–9.64]*	4.25[1.6–11.2]*
Smoking	Current smoker	6(2.2)	16(5.9)	1.46[0.52–3.73]	0.9[0.19–4.16]
	Former	10(3.7)	32(11.7)	1.68[0.78–3.61]	0.71[0.19–2.6]
	Never	72(26.4)	137(50.2)	1	1
Khat chewing	Current	19(7)	50(18.3)	1.6[0.84–3.04]	2.1[0.95–4.7]
	Former	22(8.1)	58(21.2)	1.6[0.87–2.96]	1.7[0.76–3.7]
	Never	47(17.2)	77(28.2)	1	1
BMI (kg/m^2)	Normal	47(17.2)	73(26.7)	1	1
	Underweight	21(7.7)	57(20.9)	1.74[0.94–3.24]	1.02[0.38–2.7]
	Overweight	20(7.3)	55(20.1)	1.77[0.94–3.32]	1.2[0.36–2.76]
Duration of RX	Follow up for > 5 years	43(15.8)	17(6.2)	1	1
	Follow-up for ≤ 5 years	25(9.2)	84(30.8)	8.5[4.1–17.41]*	2.84[0.96–8.4]
	Not on RX	20(7.3)	84(30.8)	10.6[5–22.34]*	8.6[3.45–21.6]*
Duration of TD	New case	21(7.7)	60(22)	1	1
	< 5 years	44(16.1)	26(9.5)	0.2[0.1–0.41]*	0.51[0.2–1.37]
	≥ 5 years	23(8.4)	99(36.3)	1.5[0.76–2.95]	2.57[0.83–7.9]

Notes: *Statistically significant at the p-value < 0.05, 1 = Reference.

Abbreviations: BMI, Body Mass Index; ETB, Ethiopian Birr; N, Number; TD, Thyroid Dysfunction; RX, Treatment; WC, Waist Circumference; WHR, Waist-to-Hip Ratio.

Data Sharing Statement

All data obtained are available in this manuscript. However, any reasonably required data will be available per the corresponding author on request.