Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: To evaluate efficacy of universal screening versus high risk group screening for thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women.

Method: From February to July 2008, prospective study was performed on 608 pregnant women in Bandar abbas, Iran. All of pregnant women were tested for T4, T3, T3RU, FTI, TPO Ab in the first pre natal visit. Then, were assigned into two groups in order to have positive history of thyroid dysfunction or first degree family history and other autoimmune disorders in high risk group or not in low risk group. The rate of thyroid dysfunction (hypo and hyperthyroid) in two these groups compared together.

Results: Of the 608 pregnant women 85.4% were euthyroid, 12.3 hypothyroid (0.5% overt and 11.8% subclinical hypothyroidism) and 2.3% hyperthyroid. 14.7% of hypothyroid women and none of hyperthyroidism reported a positive history of thyroid dysfunction. 17.6%of cases with hypothyroidism and 14.3%of hyperthyroidism had family history of thyroid dysfunction. In this study, only one subject had diabetes mellitus. The correlation between thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy and personal history of thyroid dysfunction in past was significant (P value: 0.00)but not family history of thyroid dysfunction (P value:0.3). 26.7%of hypothyroid women and 14.3% of hyperthyroidism fall in high risk group and 73.3% of hypothyroid and 85.7% of hyper thyroid women were in low risk group.

Conclusion: In this study, more than three quarter of woman with thyroid dysfunction would not be screened because they were in low risk group. It shows Targeted High risk case finding is not enough efficacies for detection thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy.