Connective tissue diseases and autoimmune thyroid disorders in the first trimester of pregnancy

Thyroid disorders, defined as hormonal abnormalities or the presence of thyroid antibodies against thyroglobulin (TG-a), thyroid peroxidase (TPO-a), or thyrotropin receptor autoantigens (TR-a), are common pregnancy-related diseases, present in almost 2.7% of all pregnant women (Baba and Azar, 2012). They are associated to adverse obstetric outcomes, such as spontaneous abortion, fetal death, fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm delivery (Saki et al., 2014). Autoimmune thyroid disorders are frequently associated with other organ and non-organ-specific autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune connective tissue disease (Tagoe, 2015).
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research