Introduction: The global burden of thyroid disorders, especially hypothyroidism, is high and increasing.Prevalence studies of such disorders are T-Shirts limited in Nepal.The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of hypothyroidism among patients visiting the Department of Biochemistry in the central laboratory of a tertiary care centre.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients visiting the Department of Biochemistry in the central laboratory from 1 August 2020 to 31 July 2021 after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: UCMS/IRC/054/20).Patients of all age groups and gender were considered.
Hypothyroid patients were identified based on the thyroid function parameters.They were further categorized as sub-clinical and overt hypothyroid.A convenience sampling method was used.Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated.Results: Among 3,010 patients, the prevalence of hypothyroidism was seen in 770 (25.
58%) (24.02-27.14, 95% Confidence Interval).Out of total hypothyroid patients, 555 (72.08%) were females.
Overt hypothyroidism 519 (67.40%) was the most prevalent hypothyroid disorder, followed by subclinical hypothyroidism 251 (32.60%).Conclusions: The prevalence of hypothyroidism among patients visiting the Department of Biochemistry in the central laboratory of Pipe Pouch a tertiary care centre was higher than in other studies done in similar settings.