Early Pregnancy Subclinical Hypothyroidism Linked to Quadrupled Risk of Postpartum Thyroid Dysfunction: Study - Video
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Overview
A new study has shown that subclinical hypothyroidism diagnosed before 21 weeks of pregnancy is associated with more than fourfold higher rates of overt hypothyroidism or thyroid replacement therapy within 5 years of delivery. The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Thyroid®, the official journal of the American Thyroid Association.
Subclinical hypothyroidism, or a change in the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) that isn’t severe enough to cause symptoms, is especially common during pregnancy, affecting as many as 1 in 4 pregnant people. While subclinical hypothyroidism isn’t inherently dangerous, overt hypothyroidism comes with serious symptoms including fatigue, depression, and heart problems.
Researchers reported that progression to overt hypothyroidism was more common in individuals with thyroid-stimulating hormone levels that were more than twice the normal level. The investigators found that diagnosis of hypothyroxinemia, a deficiency in the thyroid hormone thyroxine, before 21 weeks of pregnancy was not associated with the development of overt hypothyroidism after delivery.
Hence, the authors concluded that Subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with higher rates of overt hypothyroidism or thyroid replacement therapy within 5 years of delivery than is hypothyroxinemia when these conditions are diagnosed in the first half of pregnancy.
Ref: Michael W. Varner et al, Progression of Gestational Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Hypothyroxinemia to Overt Hypothyroidism After Pregnancy: Pooled Analysis of Data from Two Randomized Controlled Trials, Thyroid (2024). DOI: 10.1089/thy.2023.0616
Speakers
Dr. Nandita Mohan is a practicing pediatric dentist with more than 5 years of clinical work experience. Along with this, she is equally interested in keeping herself up to date about the latest developments in the field of medicine and dentistry which is the driving force for her to be in association with Medical Dialogues. She also has her name attached with many publications; both national and international. She has pursued her BDS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore and later went to enter her dream specialty (MDS) in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry from Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences. Through all the years of experience, her core interest in learning something new has never stopped. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751