Maternal hyperthyroidism associated with cardiovascular diseases in offsprings, finds study

The aetiology of a large proportion of Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains to be elucidated, in particular those occurring at a younger age. No previous study has examined the effect of maternal hypothyroidism on a broad spectrum of cardiovascular disease (CVD) endpoints in the offspring.

Maternal hypothyroidism is associated with an increased risk of CVD in offspring, finds a population study by Maohua Miao and team.Thyroid hormone insufficiency during pregnancy predominantly contributed to heart health; however, the effects of a shared genetic background and a time-stable familial environment and lifestyle factors cannot be excluded.

The findings of the study are published in Frontiers of Endocrinology.

The objective of the study was to examine the effect of maternal hypothyroidism on a broad spectrum of CVD endpoints in the offspring.

The study was a nationwide population-based cohort study based on the linkage of several Danish nationwide registries was conducted to explore whether maternal hypothyroidism is associated with offspring's CVD. Exposure was maternal diagnosis of hypothyroidism across lifespan and the outcome of interest was a CVD diagnosis in the offspring. Cox regression models were performed to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) of CVD.