Thyroid hormone profile in obese subjects--a clinical study.

Fifty obese subjects with body weight above 120% of the ideal weight for that height or body mass index greater than 27.8 kg/m2 in men or 27.3 kg/m2 in women were studied for thyroid hormone profile. Nearly three-fourths obese subjects had body mass index of 30-40 kg/m2. Eighty-six per cent subjects were clinically and biochemically euthyroid. Fourteen per cent of the subjects had hypothyroidism; out of them, 8% were clinically and biochemically hypothyroid while 6% were only biochemically hypothyroid. None of the hypothyroid subjects had morbid obesity (greater than 40 kg/m2 body mass index). Duration of obesity in hypothyroid subjects was less than 10 years in nearly three-fourths of cases.