Thyroid autoimmunity in euthyroid pregnant women is associated with slower productive language acquisition: the Odense child cohort study
Authors' conclusion
In women without known thyroid disease, TPOAb positivity in early pregnancy was negatively associated with productive vocabulary acquisition in girls and boys. This association was not mediated by a decreased thyroid function, as low-normal maternal FT4, unexpectedly, indicated better vocabulary acquisition. Our results support that maternal thyroid autoimmunity per se may affect fetal neurodevelopment.
Study context
- Population
- Mother-child dyads from the Odense child cohort, excluding maternal thyroid medication in pregnancy; maternal thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb), free thyroxine (FT4) and thyrotropin measured in early pregnancy (median gestational week 12)
- Participants
- 735 mother-child dyads
- Exposure
- Maternal TPOAb ≥11 kIU/L vs <11 kIU/L in early pregnancy
- Outcome
- Offspring productive vocabulary (MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories scores, every third month)
- Follow-up
- 12-36 months of age
Methodological detailslogistic growth curve models, stratified by offspring sex, adjusted for maternal age, education, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, breastfeeding and offspring age
- Logistic growth curve models
- Stratified by offspring sex
- Adjusted for maternal age, education, pre-pregnancy BMI, parity, breastfeeding and offspring age
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Odds ratio
0.78
P < 0.001
girls, age 18-36 months; lower probability with TPOAb ≥11 kIU/L
Odds ratio
0.83
P < 0.001
boys, age 33-36 months; lower probability with TPOAb ≥11 kIU/L
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | OR | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Probability of producing words by maternal FT4 (girls, 30-36 months)Between Low-normal FT4 and High-normal FT4 · probability higher with low-normal maternal FT4 per abstract | 0.60 | P < 0.001 |
Probability of producing words by maternal FT4 (girls, 30-36 months)
- A similar trend was seen in boys
Probability of producing words by maternal thyrotropin
- Results were ambiguous for thyrotropin
Original publication
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