Evaluation of Anti-Thyroperoxidase (A-TPO) and Anti-Thyroglobulin (A-Tg) Antibodies in Women with Previous Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis during and after Pregnancy

Abstract

Background/Objective: Autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) affect 2 to 5% of the general population. This study aimed to determine changes in activity of A-Tg and A-TPO antibodies before, during, and after pregnancy in women with previous AITD. Methods: This was a single-center study with a retrospective review of the medical records of 30 female patients aged 25–41 years who came to our endocrinology service in the city of Santo André, state of São Paulo, Brazil, to investigate thyroid diseases. The following data were reviewed: total triiodothyronine (totalT3), total thyroxine (totalT4), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and anti-TSH receptor antibodies (anti-TSH receptor or anti-thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb), anti-thyroid peroxidase (A-TPO), and anti-thyroglobulin (A-Tg)). These data were reviewed for 30 patients before and during the three trimesters of pregnancy and during the three months after pregnancy. Results: During gestation, we observed a progressive decrease in the blood values of A-TPO and A-Tg, which reached their lowest values in the third trimester of pregnancy, but after birth, they returned to values statistically equivalent to those before pregnancy. Analyzing the three trimesters and the post-pregnancy period, A-TPO increased 192% between the first trimester and postpartum (p = 0.009); it increased 627% between the second trimester and postpartum (p < 0.001); and it increased >1000% between the third trimester and postpartum (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the A-TPO values between the pre- and post-gestational periods (p = 1.00), between the first and second trimesters (p = 0.080), or between the second and third trimesters (p = 0.247). Conclusions: According to the results presented here, we observed changes in the activities of A-Tg and A-TPO antibodies during and after pregnancy in women with previous AITD. In women who intend to become pregnant, are pregnant, or have given birth within three months, it is essential to monitor A-TPO, A-Tg, and thyroid function as well as serum thyroid hormones and TSH to identify thyroid dysfunction in a timely manner and adjust the treatment strategy to avoid the deleterious effects of hypothyroidism on both mother and baby during and after pregnancy.