Pattern and Prevalence of Thyroid Dysfunction in Nigerian Pregnant Females

Abstract

Introduction: Thyroid associated endocrinopathies are the second most common endocrine disorders, after diabetes mellitus in women and are more prevalent in women during their reproductive ages. Diagnosing thyroid disease in pregnancy can be difficult as the clinical signs and symptoms mimic those of pregnancy. This study was done to document the pattern and prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in Nigerian pregnant women. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study carried out on 264 Nigerian pregnant females and 75 aged matched healthy controls. Thyroid hormones, blood glucose, urinalysis and blood pressure were determined. Pregnant females were categorized into normal pregnancy, gestational hypertensive and gestational trimesters. Results: The mean age (SD) of participants with normal pregnancy was 29.82 (4.39 years). This was comparable with those with gestational hypertensive 31.78 (4.46 years) (p = 0.062). The mean ± SD of plasma levels of free T4 (0.37±0.16 ng/dl) in participants with normal pregnancy was significantly higher than those with gestational hypertensive (0.28±0.33 ng/dl), (p = 0.034). Intra trimester comparison of the participants with thyroid dysfunction showed subclinical hypothyroidism was present in 11.11%, 3.85% and 20.35% in first, second and third trimester respectively. Conclusion: Subclinical hypothyroidism is the most commonly documented of the thyroid dysfunctional status in Nigerian pregnant females.