[High prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among psychiatric inpatients].

BACKGROUND Thyroid dysfunction is frecuent in psychiatric outpatients and in the general Chilean population but there is no information about the prevalence of thyroid diseases in Chilean psychiatric inpatients. AIM To retrospectively assess the frequency of thyroidal diseases in psychiatric inpatients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Clinical charts and thyroid assessment of 241 psychiatric inpatients (147 women, mean age 33+/-16 years) attended in a University Psychiatric Clinic, were reviewed. Psychiatric diagnosis at discharge was made according to DSM IV criteria and endocrine diagnosis was made based on international criteria. RESULTS Forty nine patients (20.7%) had thyroid abnormalities. Forty four patients had hypothyroidism (18.3%) and five had hyperthyroidism (2.35%). No specific associations were found between gender or psychiatric diagnosis and endocrine abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS In this sample, the prevalence of thyroid abnormalities was similar to other reports in psychiatric inpatiens and higher than in the general population in Chile.