Stine Linding Andersen1, Jørn Olsen2, Peter Laurberg3. 1. Departments of EndocrinologyClinical BiochemistryAalborg University Hospital, Sdr. Skovvej 15, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical EpidemiologyAarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical MedicineAalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark Departments of EndocrinologyClinical BiochemistryAalborg University Hospital, Sdr. Skovvej 15, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical EpidemiologyAarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical MedicineAalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark stine.a@rn.dk. 2. Departments of EndocrinologyClinical BiochemistryAalborg University Hospital, Sdr. Skovvej 15, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical EpidemiologyAarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical MedicineAalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark. 3. Departments of EndocrinologyClinical BiochemistryAalborg University Hospital, Sdr. Skovvej 15, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical EpidemiologyAarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical MedicineAalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark Departments of EndocrinologyClinical BiochemistryAalborg University Hospital, Sdr. Skovvej 15, 9000 Aalborg, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical EpidemiologyAarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Clinical MedicineAalborg University, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Thyroid disorders are common in women of reproductive age, but the exact burden of disease before, during and after a pregnancy is not clear. We describe the prevalence of thyroid disease in women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and investigate some of its risk factors. DESIGN: Population-based study within the DNBC, which included 101,032 pregnancies (1997-2003). METHODS: We studied women enrolled in the DNBC who gave birth to a live-born child. Information on maternal thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, benign goiter/nodules, thyroid cancer, and other) before, during and up to 5 years after the woman's first pregnancy in the cohort was obtained from self-report (telephone interview in median gestational week 17) and from nationwide registers on hospital diagnosis of thyroid disease/thyroid surgery (from 1977) and prescriptions of thyroid drugs (from 1995). RESULTS: Of the 77,445 women studied, 3018 (3.9%) were identified with an onset of thyroid disease before (2.0%), during (0.1%) or in the 5-year period after the pregnancy (1.8%). During the pregnancy, 153 (0.2%) women received antithyroid drugs and 365 (0.5%) received thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism (83 after previous hyperthyroidism, 42 after previous surgery for benign goiter/nodules or thyroid cancer). Significant risk factors for maternal thyroid disease were age, parity, origin, iodine intake, smoking, alcohol, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Around 4% of Danish pregnant women had either a history of thyroid disease or thyroid disease during pregnancy or were diagnosed with thyroid disease for the first-time in the years following a pregnancy. The spectrum of thyroid disease was influenced by demographic and environmental factors.
OBJECTIVE:Thyroid disorders are common in women of reproductive age, but the exact burden of disease before, during and after a pregnancy is not clear. We describe the prevalence of thyroid disease in women enrolled in the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and investigate some of its risk factors. DESIGN: Population-based study within the DNBC, which included 101,032 pregnancies (1997-2003). METHODS: We studied women enrolled in the DNBC who gave birth to a live-born child. Information on maternal thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, benign goiter/nodules, thyroid cancer, and other) before, during and up to 5 years after the woman's first pregnancy in the cohort was obtained from self-report (telephone interview in median gestational week 17) and from nationwide registers on hospital diagnosis of thyroid disease/thyroid surgery (from 1977) and prescriptions of thyroid drugs (from 1995). RESULTS: Of the 77,445 women studied, 3018 (3.9%) were identified with an onset of thyroid disease before (2.0%), during (0.1%) or in the 5-year period after the pregnancy (1.8%). During the pregnancy, 153 (0.2%) women received antithyroid drugs and 365 (0.5%) received thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism (83 after previous hyperthyroidism, 42 after previous surgery for benign goiter/nodules or thyroid cancer). Significant risk factors for maternal thyroid disease were age, parity, origin, iodine intake, smoking, alcohol, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: Around 4% of Danish pregnant women had either a history of thyroid disease or thyroid disease during pregnancy or were diagnosed with thyroid disease for the first-time in the years following a pregnancy. The spectrum of thyroid disease was influenced by demographic and environmental factors.