Cardiovascular Manifestations in Hyperthyroidism: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Background The involvement of the heart in hyperthyroidism patients has a considerable prognostic value and causes significant morbidity and mortality. However, very little research, particularly among the Indian population, has addressed the most critical cardiovascular symptoms of hyperthyroidism, so this study aimed to assess the cardiovascular manifestations of hyperthyroidism. Method The current cross-sectional investigation involved 140 newly diagnosed and untreated confirmed cases of hyperthyroidism of any etiology for nine months. A structured data collection schedule was used to collect patient-specific and pertinent information during OPD hours or after admission. T4, T3, and TSH were measured in 10 mL of blood from each patient. The information was entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. All tests were carried out with a 5% level of significance. Results The mean age of study subjects was 43.2 years. Females made up 85.0% of the subjects in the current study, while males made up 15.0%. The etiology of hyperthyroidism was primarily due to Grave's disease (59.3%). Heat intolerance (67.9%) was the most typical presenting symptom among the patients. The most common cardiac symptom was palpitation among 76.4% of subjects in the present study. Upon clinical examination, 80.7% of subjects had tachycardia. The ECG showed atrial fibrillation (AF) in 17.9% of subjects. The echocardiogram (ECHO) findings revealed systolic dysfunction in 17.8% of subjects. Conclusion Since cardiovascular manifestations are common in patients with thyroid disease and may be the only manifestation of thyroid disease, it is suggested that all patients with thyroid disorders be checked for cardiovascular manifestations. In addition, thyroid function tests should be performed in all patients with unexplained cardiovascular disease.