[Personality markers, physical complaints and microsomal thyroid antibody titer in postpartum women].
OBJECTIVE
To define the relation between mood, anxiety, puerperal-depression and autoimmune-thyroid-disfunction.


METHODS
We screened 292 mothers 2 to 3 days after delivery for anxiety, depression and mood disturbances as well as thyroid-function and microsomal antithyroid-antibody status. Ten autoantibody positive woman were compared with an equal number of age-matched controls. The state-trait-anxiety inventory which consists of 20 questions concerning state-anxiety (anxiety in a given situation) and 20 questions concerning trait-anxiety (anxiety as a quality of personality) was used to describe anxiety. The Beck-depression-inventory was applied to measure depressive illness. To assess the mood we used the "Giessener Beschwerdebogen".


RESULTS
We found subclinical hypothyroidism in 40% of the antibody positive women and their matched pairs. Another 10% of these 20 women showed clinical hypothyroidism. There was no significant association of thyroid-function or disfunction with neither anxiety nor depressive illness or mood disturbance. The incidence of state-anxiety was significantly higher in the antibody positive group than in the antibody negative group (Chi2 = 3,3; P < 0.04). Trait-anxiety showed a tendency to be higher in the antibody positive group, but the difference was not significant (Chi2 = 2; P < 0,08). The frequency of depressive illness or mood disturbance at the time of assessment was not significantly different in thyroid-antibody positive group compared with antibody negative group.


CONCLUSIONS
Autoantibody induced thyroiditis may contribute to anxiety in the postpartum period.
Seeler
M J
MJ
Gynäkologische Gemeinschaftspraxis Bohnet, Knuth und Seeler, Hamburg.
Christiansen
K
K
Wegmann
R
R
Bohnet
H G
HG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000523:psychology
D001323:Autoantibodies; C056626:thyroid microsomal antibodies