Investigating the Relationship between the Vitamin D Status and Depression in Thyroid Patients Referred to Yazd Diabetes Center Clinic in 2020

Introduction: Vitamin D is a hormone precursor, which in addition to the known roles, may have an important effect on mental disorders such as depression. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the extent of vitamin D deficiency and depression, and their relationship in thyroid patients referred to the Yazd Diabetes Center Clinic. Methods: This is a cross-sectional-analytical study which was performed on 150 thyroid patients referred to the Yazd Diabetes Center Clinic. Their serum level of vitamin D in blood was assessed using ELISA method and patients' depression level was measured based on Beck Depression Inventory. Results: In this study, 150 thyroid patients including 55 men and 11 women with a mean age of 41.40± 7.61 participated. The mean score of Beck Depression among these patients was 28.71± 8.34 .The mean level of vitamin D in these patients was 20.58 ± 7.21 ng / ml ,in such a way  that in total ,85% of the thyroid patients were in the group of insufficient levels of vitamin D. A significant negative correlation was observed between depression score and serum level of vitamin D (r = -0.79 and p <0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate a high prevalence of depression and vitamin D deficiency in thyroid patients. Another finding of this study is the existence of the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and depression, in such a way that the lesser the vitamin D in the body, the higher the rate of depression in a person is. The use of vitamin D supplements in the treatment of thyroid patients with depression, as a clinical trial, can be a good solution in treating the patients.