Does Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Affect the Shear Wave Velocity of the Thyroid Gland of Children Without Autoimmune Thyroiditis?

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the shear wave velocity (SWV) of the thyroid gland with acoustic radiation force impulse elastography in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Materials and Methods: Between November 2015 and April 2016, 35 T1D patients who were referred to our hospital's endocrinology outpatient clinic (mean age, 11.88 +/- 4.1 years) and 30 children (mean age, 11.3 +/- 3.08 years) in the control group were enrolled in the study. Five acoustic radiation force impulse elastography measurements from each lobe of the thyroid gland in m/s were recorded. Diabetes age, hemoglobin A1c, and C-peptide levels were recorded in T1D patients. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 21 (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY). Results: The mean SWV of the thyroid gland in T1D patients and the control group was 1.11 +/- 0.21 and 1.29 +/- 0.23 m/s, respectively. The mean SWV of the thyroid gland in T1D patients was lower than that in the control group and this was significant (P = 0.002). The mean SWV of the thyroid gland was not correlated with hemoglobin A1c level, body mass index, or the insulin dose in T1D patients. Conclusions: The present study showed that T1D affects the thyroid gland stiffness even in patients without autoimmune thyroiditis. Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography may be a useful method in determining early changes in thyroid gland in T1D and may be used as a screening tool.