Connection between the disorder of the function of the thyroid gland and the appearance of the somatic symptoms with the patients

Abstract

Introduction: The thyroid gland is one of the most important endocrine glands that has the function of releasing hormones that regulate metabolism in adults. Thyroid hormones act directly or indirectly on almost all systems in the body, so they can negatively affect the health of an individual, who have a high risk of developing disorders in psychosomatic symptoms. The occurrence of somatization in patients can be accompanied by a direct impact of thyroid disorders on certain organs and systems, but it can also be non-specific in relation to the disease itself. Objective: To examine the relationship between different disorders of the thyroid gland and the occurrence of somatic symptoms in patients, according to age, body mass index and length of treatment. Material and methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study in 221 outpatients with thyroid disease at the Special Hospital for Thyroid Diseases and Metabolic Diseases "Zlatibor", from February to July 2018. In addition to the sociodemographic questionnaire, a four-dimensional symptom questionnaire subscale (4DSQ) was used in the study to assess the occurrence and level of somatization in subjects. Results: There is an association between different thyroid disorders and a high score on the somatization scale (16.05 ± 8.34), in 69.7% of subjects. In our subjects, the most pronounced somatic symptoms have subjects with hypothyroidism (M = 17.5; as = 16.44 ± 8.26), subjects over 61 years (19.29 ± 8.29). Musculoskeletal somatic symptoms were expressed in 72.4% of subjects. Pronounced somatization (19.40 ± 8.32) have subjects who have elevated body mass index values (35-39.9), as well as subjects who have been treated for thyroid disease for more than ten years (19.7 ± 8.7). Conclusion: This study showed that there is an association between thyroid disorders and the appearance of somatic symptoms in patients. In patients, there are moderate somatic symptoms that are associated with age, body mass index and length of treatment.