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Horm Metab Res 2016; 48(01): 20-26
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1555878
Endocrine Care
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Maternal Thyroid Function and Autoimmunity in 3 Trimesters of Pregnancy and their Offspring’s Thyroid Function

P. Sarkhail
1   Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
,
L. Mehran
1   Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
,
S. Askari
1   Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
,
Z. Tahmasebinejad
1   Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
,
M. Tohidi
2   Prevention of Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
,
F. Azizi
1   Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I. R. Iran
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 08 November 2014

accepted 23 June 2015

Publication Date:
13 November 2015 (online)

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Abstract

This study was performed to evaluate maternal thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity during pregnancy and its correlation with thyroid function of offspring. In this cohort study, Serum TT4, TT3, T3U, TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb were measured. Serum samples of 120 pregnant women were collected during 3 trimesters as well as in 57 cord bloods, 69 neonates, 34, 37, and 36 infants aged 2, 4, and 6 months. Repeated measure and Pearson correlation test were used to compare thyroid hormone values and to assess the correlations, respectively. Main outcomes were correlations between thyroid hormones and antibodies in mothers and offspring. An increasing trend for TT3 (p for trend < 000.1) and TSH (p for trend 0.01) was found over the course of gestation. Among 120 mothers, 10 (8%) had subclinical hyperthyroidism and 18 mothers (15%) showed subclinical hypothyroidism. We found one hypothyroid (0.8%) and 3 hyperthyroid (2.5%) mothers during pregnancy. Correlations among maternal thyroid hormones were found but not with auto-antibodies. A positive correlation between maternal thyroid auto-antibodies in all trimesters with cord blood and neonates was found. Cord blood TSH had a good correlation with maternal TSH, but only in the first trimester (r=0.29, p<0.05). A positive correlation between neonatal TSH and maternal TT4 was found only in the third trimester (r=0.25, p<0.05). Subclinical hypothyroidism was the most common thyroid dysfunction in the pregnant women studied. The association between maternal auto-antibodies and thyroid hormones of offspring was observed mostly in the neonatal period and became weaker after one month of age.

Key words

thyroid hormones - antibodies - pregnancy - cord blood - neonates - infants
 

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