Abstract

Aims: Investigation thyroid dysfunction and autoimmunity in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Background: This article was written to evaluate the thyroid function and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti- TPO) antibodies in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods: A total of 252 women with GDM and 252 healthy pregnant women were enrolled. Thyroid tests, including TSH, FreeT3, Free T4, and anti-TPO were performed for all women at 24–28 weeks of gestation. Data analysis was then carried out using SPSS ver. 22.

Results: There was a significant difference between the experimental group (38.4%) and the control group (14.06%) in terms of the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (p= 0.016). The frequency of anti-TPO was higher in the experimental group than the control group and positive anti-TPO was observed in 18.6% of women with GDM and 10.3% of healthy pregnant women (P= 0.008).

Conclusion: Thyroid disorders are observed in pregnant women with GDM more frequently than healthy individuals and it may be thus reasonable to perform thyroid tests routinely.

Keywords: Thyroid diseases, gestational, diabetes, pregnant women, glucose tolerance test, thyroid peroxidase.