Thyroid Hormone Profile in Rwandan Students

Aim: To illustrate the thyroid hormone profile in young adult students at moderate altitude in Rwanda.

Study Design: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted among healthy university students living at Butare, Rwanda (altitude: 1,768 m, barometric pressure: 629 mm Hg) in December 2011.

Methods: Venous blood was collected in the morning, after overnight fasting. TSH, total T3 and total T4 hormonal assays were performed in the laboratory of Butare University Teaching Hospital by classical sandwich ELISA technique for TSH and competitive ELISA technique for total T4 and total T3.

Results: The results of 111 subjects (65 males and 46 females; mean age: 22 years, age range: 18-28 years) are as follows (mean ± SD): total T3: males: 0.9 ± 0.3 ng/mL, females: 1.3 ± 0.3 ng/mL; total T4: males: 6.4 ± 1.1 µg/dL, females: 9.3 ± 2.2 µg/dL; TSH: males: 1.8 ± 1.2 mIU/L, females: 1.9 ± 1.4 mIU/L.

Conclusion: The results of our study compare well with findings of other studies, with a slight increase in serum TSH concentration as compared to sea level values. A comprehensive study needs to be done to establish reference intervals.