Diagnosis, treatment, and management of gestational hypothyroidism. The TIROGEST study / Diagnóstico, tratamiento y manejo del hipotiroidismo gestacional. Estudio TIROGEST

Introduction: There is no agreement on the procedures to be used for diagnosis and treatment of gestational thyroid dysfunction. Controversy still exists on the normal range of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and use of gestational hypothyroidism (GH) screening. The aim of this study was to assess diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy in a group of Spanish hospitals. Study design: This was a retrospective, multicenter study in pregnant females with GH attending Spanish healthcare centers from March 2013 to July 2014. Variables analyzed included diagnosis criteria for GH (availability of universal screening for gestational thyroid disorders and TSH reference values (RVs) by trimester of pregnancy): risk factors for GH, iodine intake from food or supplementation, gestational age (at diagnosis/treatment) and l-thyroxine treatment. Results: Fourteen centers participated in the study. Universal screening was performed in only half of the centers, and only 14% had their own TSH RVs. Overall, 257 pregnant women were enrolled, 53.7% with hypothyroidism (HT) diagnosed before pregnancy (pre-GH) and 46.3% with HT diagnosed during pregnancy (intra-GH). A comparison of intra-GH and pre-GH women showed that intra-GH women made their first visit later (59.7% vs. 75.4% respectively before week 12, p = 0.007) and had more frequently high TSH levels (>2.5 μIU/ml) during the first trimester (94.4% vs. 67.0% respectively, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that GH may be underdiagnosed or inadequately diagnosed in most healthcare centers. These findings suggest the need of improving the current practice in Spain

Introducción: Los procedimientos a seguir para el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la disfunción tiroidea en la gestación no están del todo consensuados. Aún se discute el rango de normalidad de los valores de la hormona estimulante del tiroides (TSH) y el uso de screening para detectar hipotiroidismo gestacional (HG). El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la forma de diagnóstico y tratamiento de la disfunción tiroidea durante la gestación en un grupo de hospitales de España. Diseño del estudio: Estudio retrospectivo, multicéntrico en mujeres embarazadas con HG atendidas en instituciones sanitarias españolas entre marzo de 2013 y julio de 2014. Las variables analizadas incluyeron criterios diagnósticos de HG (disponibilidad de screening universal para trastornos tiroideos gestacionales y valores de referencia de TSH según el trimestre gestacional); factores de riesgo de HG, ingesta de yodo mediante alimentos o suplementos, edad gestacional (al diagnóstico/tratamiento) y tratamiento con L-tiroxina. Resultados: Participaron un total de 14 centros. Únicamente la mitad de los centros empleaba el screening universal, y solo el 14% tenía valores de referencia de TSH propios. Se incluyeron un total de 257 embarazadas, 53,7% con diagnóstico de hipotiroidismo previo al embarazo (pre-HG) y 46,3% con hipotiroidismo diagnosticado durante el embarazo (intra-HG). Comparando los casos de pre-HG e intra-HG, las mujeres con intra-HG realizaban la primera visita más tarde (antes de la semana 12; 59,7% vs. 75,4% respectivamente, p = 0,007) y tenían más frecuentemente valores elevados de TSH (> 2,5 μUI/ml) durante el primer trimestre (94,4% vs. 67,0% respectivamente, p < 0,001). Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados sugieren que el HG puede estar infradiagnosticado o diagnosticado indebidamente en la mayoría de los centros sanitarios. Estos hallazgos sugieren la necesidad de mejorar la práctica actual en España

Diagnosis, treatment, and management of gestational hypothyroidism. The TIROGEST study.

INTRODUCTION: There is no agreement on the procedures to be used for diagnosis and treatment of gestational thyroid dysfunction. Controversy still exists on the normal range of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and use of gestational hypothyroidism (GH) screening. The aim of this study was to assess diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy in a group of Spanish hospitals. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective, multicenter study in pregnant females with GH attending Spanish healthcare centers from March 2013 to July 2014. Variables analyzed included diagnosis criteria for GH (availability of universal screening for gestational thyroid disorders and TSH reference values (RVs) by trimester of pregnancy): risk factors for GH, iodine intake from food or supplementation, gestational age (at diagnosis/treatment) and l-thyroxine treatment. RESULTS: Fourteen centers participated in the study. Universal screening was performed in only half of the centers, and only 14% had their own TSH RVs. Overall, 257 pregnant women were enrolled, 53.7% with hypothyroidism (HT) diagnosed before pregnancy (pre-GH) and 46.3% with HT diagnosed during pregnancy (intra-GH). A comparison of intra-GH and pre-GH women showed that intra-GH women made their first visit later (59.7% vs. 75.4% respectively before week 12, p=0.007) and had more frequently high TSH levels (>2.5µIU/ml) during the first trimester (94.4% vs. 67.0% respectively, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that GH may be underdiagnosed or inadequately diagnosed in most healthcare centers. These findings suggest the need of improving the current practice in Spain.

Iodine deficiency is higher in morbid obesity in comparison with late after bariatric surgery and non-obese women.

BACKGROUND: Iodine deficiency and obesity are worldwide-occurring health problems. Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between morbid obesity and iodine status, including subjects who lost weight after bariatric surgery. METHODS: Ninety morbidly obese women, 90 women with at least 18 months follow-up after bariatric surgery, and 45 healthy non-obese women were recruited. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was measured in a spot urinary sample and expressed as the iodine-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Obese women showed a significantly lower UIC in comparison with non-obese women (96.6 (25.8-267.3) vs. 173.3 (47.0-493.6) µg/g; p < 0.001), with a lesser proportion of subjects with adequate iodine status (46.6 vs. 83.3 %, p < 0.001). The mean UIC significantly increased among women who underwent bariatric surgery before the collection of the urinary sample (96.6 (25.8-267.3) vs. 131.9 (62.9-496.4) µg/g; p < 0.001). No difference in UIC was detected between laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Univariate analysis showed that UIC negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.278, p < 0.001) and positively with age (r = 0.206, p = 0.002). Finally, multiple linear regression analyses showed that BMI was independently associated with UIC (beta = -0.312, p < 0.001; R (2) = 0.166). CONCLUSION: Obesity is an independent risk factor to iodine deficiency, almost in women. Whether more obese population needs to be considered as a vulnerable group and whether bariatric surgery can reverse iodine deficiency still remain to be elucidated.