title: Prevalence of post-partum thyroiditis in Liguria (Italy): an observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Post-partum thyroiditis (PPT) is an autoimmune disorder occurring within the first year following delivery. A variable prevalence has been reported in different surveys. We prospectively evaluated PPT prevalence and outcome in a cohort of pregnant women living in a well-defined geographic area.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  A subset from a group of healthy women consecutively evaluated for thyroid function and thyroid autoimmunity during pregnancy, referring to the same obstetric unit, were followed up at 4-6 months and 1 yr after delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up for PPT was performed in 258 pregnant women. Control data were obtained in a comparable group of healthy non-pregnant women. Free T3 (fT3), free T4 (fT4), TSH thyroglobulin/thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TgAb/TPOAb), and urinary iodine excretion were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autoantibody positivity was observed in 9.3% of pregnant, similar to control women. Forty-three out of 59 autoantibody-positive women were followed up; 23 showed PPT at the first control, 18 had hypothyroidism at 1 yr (5 had not shown PPT at the first control). Among 215 out of 584 autoantibody-negative women followed up, 27 developed PPT (15 of them without thyroid autoantibodies); 16 developed thyroid autoantibodies without PPT. After 1 yr, 9 women had hypothyroidism: only 1 of them was autoantibody-negative at the former control. Urinary iodine was increased in several pregnant women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An overall PPT prevalence of about 18% may be estimated. PPT was also observed in autoantibody- negative women. Differences with other surveys may be related to both study protocol and characteristics of the population studied.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Unit, ASL3 Voltri Hospital, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brizzolara
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Venuti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cesarone
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Maritati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Podestà
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Bottaro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orselli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiappori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiavo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caputo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonassi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagnasco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating / Q000097:blood; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D007455:Iodine / Q000652:urine; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D050032:Postpartum Thyroiditis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D015995:Prevalence; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D018828:Immunoglobulins, Thyroid-Stimulating; D013954:Thyroglobulin; D007455:Iodine; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase