ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2014 November;173(11):567-78

Copyright © 2014 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Prevalence of pregnancy induced thyroid dysfunction and the characteristics of the associated anaemia in primigravida Saudi women during the first trimester: a cross-sectional study

Refaat B.

Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al‑Qura University, Al Abdeyah, Makkah, KSA

AIM: Aim of the study was to measure the prevalence and types of thyroid disorders using the American Thyroid Association guidelines and to investigate their relationship with anemia frequency in primigravida females during the first trimester.
METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 500 primigravida females with no history of thyroid disease, chronic diseases and/or anaemia to measure serum TSH, free T4, erythrocyte indices and iron parameters.
RESULTS: Thyroid disorders were detected in 162 participants (32.4%) and the most prevalent disorder was occult hypothyroidism (102/162), followed by overt hypothyroidism (32/162) and hypothyroxinaemia (24/162). Anaemia was detected in 66 females with abnormal thyroid profile (40.7%) and the prevalence was significantly higher (P<0.05) compared to euthyroid (15.4%). The RBCs count, haemoglobin, haematocrit value, serum iron and serum ferritin were significantly lower in thyroid disorder compared to euthyroid group (P<0.05). Serum free T4 significantly correlated with RBCs count, haemoglobin and haematocrit, while TSH correlated with ferritin and total iron binding capacity (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Thyroid disorders are common in primigravida Saudi females during the first trimester and they are associated with an increase in the frequency of anaemia. Further studies are needed to identify the mechanism(s) by which thyroid dysfunction induces anaemia during pregnancy.