Publication:

Clinical study of skin manifestations of hypothyroidism at a tertiary hospital in North Kerala

Background The effect of thyroid function on skin is very complex. Skin, hair and nail changes are not infrequent in hypothyroidism. There are only a few studies on the effect of hypothyroidism on skin in North Kerala.

Methods 100 patients with hypothyroidism attending the outpatient departments of Dermatology and General Medicine were evaluated. The study was conducted at Kannur Medical College, Anjarakandy from September 2016 to August 2017. The various changes in skin, hair and nails are recorded in the study.

Results Hypothyroidism was much more common in females and manly affected the 21-40 years age group. The common skin changes seen were xerosis, myxoedema and keratoderma. Hair loss, brittle nails and onycholysis were the main hair and nail manifestations. The conditions commonly associated with hypothyroidism were melasma, urticaria, alopecia areata and vitiligo.

Conclusions Thyroid and skin are closely related and so any abnormality in the functioning of thyroid commonly reflects on the skin, hair and nails. Proper knowledge about the various skin manifestations helps in avoiding the various systemic complications of hypothyroidism by arriving at an early diagnosis.