Association between maternal thyroid function and risk of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia

Edin Medjedovic; Milan Stanojevic; Asim Kurjak; Edin Begic; Amer Iglica; Sabaheta Jonuzovic-Prosic

doi:10.1515/jpm-2022-0121

Article

Association between maternal thyroid function and risk of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia

Edin Medjedovic , Milan Stanojevic , Asim Kurjak , Edin Begic , Amer Iglica and Sabaheta Jonuzovic-Prosic

Published/Copyright: May 25, 2022

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From the journal Journal of Perinatal Medicine Volume 50 Issue 7

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the influence of maternal level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) one by one or in combination on incidence of gestational hypertension and preeclampsia.

Methods

The study included pregnant women (n=107) hospitalized in the period from July 1, 2020 to October 10, 2021 at the Department of Pathology of Pregnancy of the University Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Clinical Center Sarajevo (UCCS) (Bosnia and Herzegovina), due to hypertensive disorder in pregnancy without symptoms of impaired thyroid function. In all patients fulfilling inclusion criteria TSH, FT3, and FT4 using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA, Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland) were checked. There were two groups of patients: one with gestational hypertension (G1) and the other with preeclampsia (G2). The programs SPSS for Windows 25.0, SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA and Microsoft Excel 11, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA were used for statistical analysis using nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test because the distribution of the data was not normal. The result was considered statistically significant if p<0.05.

Results

Gestational age at delivery (G2 36.86 ± 3.79 vs. G1 38.94 ± 2.15; p=0.002) and birth weight (G2 2,841.36 ± 1,006.39 vs. G2 3,290.73 ± 745.6; p=0,032) were significantly different between the investigated groups. The difference between the peak systolic (p=0.002), peak diastolic blood pressure (p=0.007), TSH (p=0.044), and FT3 (p=0.045) were statistically significant. Impaired thyroid function was observed more often in G2 than in G1.

Conclusions

Thyroid function was more often affected adversely in pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia than with gestational hypertension. Based on the results of our study it might be prudent to check thyroid hormones in all asymptomatic pregnancies with preeclampsia or gestational hypertension. These findings need confirmation in larger better designed prospective studies.

Keywords: hypertension; preeclampsia; pregnancy; thyroid-stimulating hormone

Corresponding author: Edin Medjedovic, MD, PhD, Clinic of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Clinical Center University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, E-mail: medjedovic.e@gmail.com

Research funding: None declared.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Ethical approval: The local Institutional Review Board deemed the study exempt from review.

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Received: 2022-03-03

Revised: 2022-04-22

Accepted: 2022-04-25

Published Online: 2022-05-25

Published in Print: 2022-09-27

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm-2022-0121

Keywords for this article

hypertension; preeclampsia; pregnancy; thyroid-stimulating hormone