Postpartum Follow-Up of Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy
- 1 November 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc in Thyroid®
- Vol. 30 (11), 1566-1573
- https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2019.0714
Abstract
Background: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in pregnancy is associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. However, few studies have investigated the evolution of postpartum thyroid function in these women. This study aimed to determine the postpartum outcomes of SCH during pregnancy and the clinical and biochemical factors related to the evolution of long-term hypothyroidism. Methods: A total of 393 women diagnosed with SCH during pregnancy (defined as TSH>4.0 μIU/ml with normal FT4 levels according to the 2017 American Thyroid Association guidelines) were prospectively followed up after delivery. Among them, 216 underwent long-term follow-up [median (interquartile range) follow-up time: 11 (7-19) months] postpartum. The clinical and biochemical characteristics of the women with long-term postpartum hypothyroidism and euthyroidism were compared. Linear mixed model (LMM) was used to explore the risk factors for longitudinal changes of TSH, and logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the independent predictors of long-term postpartum hypothyroidism. Results: The probability of long-term hypothyroidism after delivery in SCH during pregnancy was 38.9%. Among the subjects with normal thyroid function 6-week postpartum, 28.2% developed hypothyroidism during long-term follow-up. The LMM showed that gestational age at the time of SCH diagnosis (Estimate: -0.018; P=0.004) and TPOAb (Estimate: 0.001; P=0.020) were significantly related to the longitudinal changes of TSH. The logistic regression model showed that TPOAb positive both during pregnancy and 6-week postpartum was a risk factor for long-term hypothyroidism after delivery (OR=4.686; 95% CI, 1.242-17.680; P=0.023). Conclusions: More than one-third of patients with SCH during pregnancy had persistent hypothyroidism after delivery. We recommend that patients with TPOAb positive both during pregnancy and 6-week postpartum undergo close follow-up to detect persistent hypothyroidism, especially before the next pregnancy.Keywords
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Postpartum thyroid dysfunction and the long-term risk of hypothyroidism: results from a 12-year follow-up study of women with and without postpartum thyroid dysfunctionClinical Endocrinology, 2010
- Pregnancy Outcomes in Women With Thyroid Peroxidase AntibodiesObstetrics & Gynecology, 2010
- Postpartum Thyroiditis: Long-Term Follow-UpThyroid®, 2005
- Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Pregnancy OutcomesObstetrics & Gynecology, 2005
- Postpartum Thyroiditis: Epidemiology and Clinical Evolution in a Nonselected PopulationThyroid®, 2000
- Maternal Thyroid Deficiency during Pregnancy and Subsequent Neuropsychological Development of the ChildThe New England Journal of Medicine, 1999
- The Thyroid Immunology of the Postpartum PeriodThyroid®, 1999
- Recombinant Thyroid Peroxidase-Specific Fab Converted to Immunoglobulin G (IgG) Molecules: Evidence for Thyroid Cell Damage by IgG1, but Not IgG4, AutoantibodiesJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1997
- Bidirectional cytokine interactions in the maternal-fetal relationship: is successful pregnancy a TH2 phenomenon?Immunology Today, 1993
- A LONG‐TERM FOLLOW‐UP OF POSTPARTUM THYROIDITISClinical Endocrinology, 1990