HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Walker, J. A. Articles by Smallridge, R. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Walker, J. A. Articles by Smallridge, R. C. Related Collections General obstetrics Medical complications of pregnancy Reproductive endocrinology

Racial Comparisons of Thyroid Function and Autoimmunity During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

From the ¹Catawba Women’s Center, Hickory, North Carolina; ²IVF Florida Reproductive Associates, Margate, Florida; ³Fetal Diagnostic Center of Orlando, Orlando, Florida; and ⁴Endocrinology Division, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate thyroid function and the prevalence of thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody and autoimmunity in African-American and white women during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

METHODS: Five hundred eighty-nine women were evaluated prospectively. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), and TPO, Ro, and La antibodies were obtained during pregnancy, at delivery, and postpartum. Levels of hCG were determined during pregnancy. Urinary iodine levels were evaluated in the third trimester in another group of women. All TPO antibody-positive patients were to be followed up at 3 and 6 months postpartum.

RESULTS: African-American women had lower TSH values than white women at all times. Thyroid-stimulating hormone increased, and free T4 decreased from the first to third trimester of pregnancy for both groups. African Americans had higher hCG levels than whites in the first trimester but not in the third trimester. There was no difference in urine iodine excretion between African-American and white women. Finally, there was no difference in TPO antibody seropositivity between African-American and white women. Overall, 5 patients (0.8%) were diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION: Fluctuations in TSH and free T4 during pregnancy parallel reported obstetric values. African Americans demonstrated consistently lower TSH levels than whites. These differences were unexplained by racial differences in either TPO antibody seropositivity, iodine status, or chorionic gonadotropin levels.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-2

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. E. Wasserman, K. Nelson, N. R. Rose, W. Eaton, J. P. Pillion, E. Seaberg, M. V. Talor, L. Burek, A. Duggan, and R. H. Yolken Maternal Thyroid Autoantibodies during the Third Trimester and Hearing Deficits in Children: An Epidemiologic Assessment Am. J. Epidemiol., March 15, 2008; 167(6): 701 - 710. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. L. La'ulu and W. L. Roberts Second-Trimester Reference Intervals for Thyroid Tests: The Role of Ethnicity Clin. Chem., September 1, 2007; 53(9): 1658 - 1664. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]