The Association Between Hypothyroidism and Anemia: a Clinical Study

Introduction: Hypothyroidism is diagnosed by elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and normal or decreased serum levels of T4 or T3, and is associated with a wide range of metabolic abnormalities, including anemia. This clinical study aimed to assess the improvement of anemia in patients with primary hypothyroidism following administration of levothyroxine in Iranian population. Materials Methods: The effect of levothyroxine in 70 patients with hypothyroidism was examined and the improvement of anemia in patients who had a poor or good response to levothyroxine was assessed during a 3 month follow-up.Results: Three months after treatment, the levels of TSH in 64 patients with hypothyroidism (91.4%) significantly decreased to a normal limit (TSH 2.5 IU/ml). Forty three out of 70 patients (61.4%) had a concurrent anemia. A significant difference was found in the levels of hematologic parameters between those who had a good response (TSH 2.5 IU/ml) and those with poor responses to the treatment (TSH=2.5 IU/ml) (p 0.05). Conclusions: Current study showed a high rate of association between anemia and hypothyroidism in Iranian population. Improvement in hypothyroidism and its associated anemia was observed in majority of patients (more than 90%), indicating a dual benefit for hypothyroidism treatment. Less than 10% of patients poorly responded to levothyroxine, with no clear reasons.