JOURNAL ARTICLE
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Association between parity and autoimmune thyroiditis in a general female population.

Autoimmunity 2008 March
BACKGROUND: Autoimmune thyroid disease (AIT) is more common in females than in males. Furthermore, it is well documented that the risk of thyroid autoimmunity increases during pregnancy and in the postpartum period. The objective of the present study was to analyse the association between parity and AIT by using ultrasound and serological data.

METHODS: The study population included 2156 women, aged 20-79 years. Serum thyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO) and thyrotropin levels were measured and thyroid ultrasonography was performed. AIT was defined according to the combined presence of a hypoechogenic thyroid pattern and positive anti-TPO levels (>200 IU/ml). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.

RESULTS: The analyses revealed an association between parity and AIT. Women with at least one pregnancy had increased odds for AIT (OR 4.6 [95%-CI 1.4-15.1], p < 0.05) compared to women who have never been pregnant. Similar results were observed using hypoechogenic thyroid pattern (OR 1.7 [95%-CI 1.0-2.9], p < 0.05) and positive anti-TPO levels (OR 1.8 [95%-CI 1.0-3.3], p = 0.05) as separate dependent variables or using number of births as alternate independent variable.

CONCLUSION: In this female population we found an association between parity and AIT and conclude that parity appears to be a potential risk factor for AIT.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app