Maternal thyroid disease and adiposity in mother and child

Abstract

Objective Thyroid hormones are crucial developmental factors, and thyroid disease in pregnant women is a concern. Overweight and obesity are also important health concerns, and we hypothesized that in utero exposure to maternal thyroid disease could programme the foetus to development of adiposity. Design Cohort and case‐cohort studies. Participants Pregnant women from the Danish National Birth Cohort and their 7‐year‐old children. Measurements Maternal thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism) was assessed from registrations of diagnoses and treatment (n = 71 706) or from the measurement of thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) in a stored blood sample from the early pregnancy (n = 7624). Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and child BMI at 7 years of age were used to define overweight and obesity, and associations were evaluated using regression models adjusting for potential confounders. Results No association was found between maternal thyroid disease in pregnancy and child overweight (hyperthyroidism: adjusted risk ratio (aRR): 1.02 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.58‐1.82); hypothyroidism: 1.31 (0.86‐1.97)) or obesity (hyperthyroidism: 0.96 (0.53‐1.75); hypothyroidism: 1.25 (0.76‐2.05)). On the other hand, pregnant women with hypothyroidism in early pregnancy had a higher risk of being overweight (aRR: 1.20 (95% CI: 1.03; 1.41)) and obese (1.45 (1.07; 1.96)), whereas women with hyperthyroidism had a lower risk of being overweight (0.79 (0.64; 0.98)). Conclusions Results provide no evidence that maternal thyroid disease in pregnancy programmes adiposity in the child, but corroborate an association between maternal thyroid disease and adiposity in the mother.

The interrelationship between pregnancy, venous thromboembolism, and thyroid disease: a hypothesis-generating review

“…However, hypothyroidism and VTE share some of the same risk factors, e.g. obesity, which may influence results [ 56 , 57 ]. On the other hand, smoking which is a risk factor for VTE, seems to protect against autoimmune hypothyroidism [ 58 , 59 ], illustrating the complexity in the evaluation of various risk factors for VTE.…”

Hyperthyroidism in pregnancy: evidence and hypothesis in fetal programming and development

“…Overall, results did not point towards associations except that lower maternal TSH levels associated with lower child BMI, fat mass, and diastolic blood pressure in one of the cohorts, in which no association with clinically diagnosed hyperthyroidism was seen(46). On the other hand, maternal hyperthyroidism as well as hypothyroidism have been associated with alterations in maternal body weight(48). Thus, it is a methodological challenge to distinguish the role of maternal thyroid disease from other BMI-related factors in the evaluation of fetal outcomes.Hyperthyroidism and pregnancy complicationsFrom the experimental and human studies reviewed above that addressed the role of maternal hyperthyroidism in pregnancy in relation to fetal brain development and the development of other organ systems, it seems as if the strong and consistent clinical recommendation on treatment of overt hyperthyroidism caused by Graves' disease in pregnant women relies on other determinants.…”

“…Considering human findings, only few studies investigated such other outcomes of fetal development. Studies from different birth cohorts have instigated blood pressure, BMI, total fat mass, and abdominal s.c. fat mass in children born to mothers with hyperthyroidism ( 46 , 47 , 48 ). Overall, results did not point toward associations except that lower maternal TSH levels associated with lower child BMI, fat mass, and diastolic blood pressure in one of the cohorts, in which no association with clinically diagnosed hyperthyroidism was seen ( 46 ).…”

“…Overall, results did not point toward associations except that lower maternal TSH levels associated with lower child BMI, fat mass, and diastolic blood pressure in one of the cohorts, in which no association with clinically diagnosed hyperthyroidism was seen ( 46 ). On the other hand, maternal hyperthyroidism as well as hypothyroidism has been associated with alterations in maternal body weight ( 48 ). Thus, it is a methodological challenge to distinguish the role of maternal thyroid disease from other BMI-related factors in the evaluation of fetal outcomes.…”

Hyperthyroidisme pada Kehamilan

“…Bukti dari studi eksperimental telah menunjukkan bahwa kadar hormon tiroid ibu yang tinggi dapat mengganggu perkembangan otak janin, dan studi epidemiologi berbasis populasi telah menunjukkan hubungan antara hipertiroidisme ibu dan perkembangan otak selanjutnya. penyakit terkait pada anak 16 .…”