title: The impact of gestational thyroid hormone concentrations on ADHD symptoms of the child.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy is associated with adverse neuropsychological development in the offspring.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy on a child's attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prospective, population-based Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (9362 pregnancies; 9479 infants) included analysis of maternal TSH, free T4, and thyroid-peroxidase antibodies (TPO-Abs) from early pregnancy samples (5791 women). Teachers evaluated the children's ADHD symptoms at 8 years using the Rutter B2 scale (5131 mother-child pairs), in which a high score indicated probable psychiatric disorders and three questions focused directly on ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of child having ADHD symptoms and/or a high Rutter B2 score after exposure to increases in maternal TSH levels (after logarithmic transformation), low free T4 levels, and TPO-Ab positivity was tested with logistic regression, adjusting for maternal/family covariates. Data were stratified by the child's gender due to interaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among girls the odds of inattention (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02-1.37), high Rutter B2 total score (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.03-1.48), and combined ADHD symptoms (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.07-1.80) significantly increased with every natural log increase in maternal TSH concentrations. Such findings were not evident in boys. No associations were seen between ADHD symptoms and low maternal free T4 levels or TPO-Ab positivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increases in maternal TSH in early pregnancy showed weak but significant association with girls' ADHD symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology (F.P., A.-L.H., M.V., E.S.) and Clinical Chemistry (A.R.), and Clinic of Child Psychiatry (I.M.), University of Oulu and Oulu University Hospital, 90029 OYS, Oulu, Finland; Institute of Health Sciences (F.P., M.-R.J.), University of Oulu, 90220 Oulu, Finland; Department of Children, Young People, and Families (F.P., A.P., H.-M.S., A.B., M.-R.J.), National Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271 Helsinki, Finland; Epidemiology Branch (T.M.), Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (M.-R.J.), Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Fanni
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Päkkilä
authors.forename: Tuija
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Männistö
authors.forename: Anneli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pouta
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hartikainen
authors.forename: Aimo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruokonen
authors.forename: Heljä-Marja
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Surcel
authors.forename: Aini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bloigu
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vääräsmäki
authors.forename: Marjo-Riitta
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Järvelin
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Eila
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suvanto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones