title: The effect of thyroid autoimmunity on T-cell responses in early pregnancy.
abstract: Thyroid autoimmunity (TAI) is common in women of reproductive age. There is a relationship between TAI and recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility. In pregnant patients with thyroid autoimmunity, the T helper-1 (Th1)/T helper-2 (Th2) ratio may shift to a Th1-type response and these activated T lymphocytes may lead to implantation failure. The aims of this study were to investigate the serum levels of Th1-, Th2-, and T-helper-17-(Th17)-associated cytokines in pregnant patients with TAI, and to evaluate how these cytokines change with l-thyroxin treatment during pregnancy. Twenty pregnant women with TAI diagnosed in the first trimester of pregnancy who were not on l-thyroxine treatment, 14 pregnant women with known TAI before pregnancy already been on l-thyroxine treatment, and 19 pregnant patients without TAI were included in this study. Thyroid function tests, thyroid autoantibodies, and cytokine levels were measured at the first and the second trimesters. In pregnant patients who were diagnosed with TAI in the first trimester, both serum IL-2 levels and IL-17 levels were significantly higher than those of the control group. There were no significant differences between groups for serum IL-4, IL-6, IL-23, IL-10, and IFNγ levels. In the second trimester, no significant differences were found between groups for all the cytokines measured. There are significant differences in Th1- and Th17-associated cytokine levels between patients with TAI and the control group in the first trimester. In the second trimester cytokine levels were similar among all groups. This pattern may be associated with the clinical benefits of l-thyroxine treatment.
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: ozturhan78@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turhan Iyidir
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ceyla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Konca Degertekin
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cemile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sonmez
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Immunology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atak Yucel
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erdem
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mujde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akturk
authors.affiliation: Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Goksun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ayvaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000276:immunology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: C508594:IL2 protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; D007376:Interleukin-2; D013974:Thyroxine
keywords: Cytokine; Pregnancy; T-helper; Thyroid autoimmunity