Antithyroid Antibodies and Reproductive Parameters of Women with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Abstract

Objectives/introduction: To evaluate the presence and concentration of antithyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) and antithyroglobulin (TGAb) antibodies at the onset of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT) and their association with disease characteristics and reproductive parameters before and after diagnosis.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 65 women with HT followed in an outpatient clinic. The data was collected by interviews and review of medical records. The variables were characteristics of the disease; TPOAb and TGAb measurements; pregnancies; live children; premature births; pregnancy losses and infertility. We used the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, the Mann-Whitney test and the Spearman correlation. The significance level was set at 5%.

Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 38 (SD ± 11.1) years and the duration of the disease was 7.5 (SD ± 5.3) years; 46% of the women reported infertility periods. 59/65 (90.7%) women had TPOAb and 42 (64.6%) had TGAb antibodies. Comparison between the groups with and without TPOAb or TGAb showed no differences between all variables studied. We found positive correlations between TPOAb concentration and preterm births and thyroid volume; and TGAb concentration was positively correlated with age.

Conclusion: The presence of autoantibodies did not influence reproductive parameters; TPOAb concentration was correlated with premature births and thyroid volume.

Keywords: Autoimmune thyroid disease; TAI; TGAb; TPOAb; infertility.