Hypothyroidism and the increased risk of preeclampsia – interpretative factors?

ABSTRACT

Objective

To evaluate the causes behind the association between hypothyroidism and the risk of preeclampsia.

Methods

Checking of individual hospital and birth records from 149 levothyroxine users among 2,508 women in the preeclampsia case–control study (2002-2016).

Results

There were significant association between levothyroxine medication and preeclampsia (OR 1.48, 95^th CI 1.06–2.07; p ≤ 0.022). The presence of comorbid diseases was associated with a significantly higher risk for the development of preeclampsia in women using levothyroxine.

Conclusion

Levothyroxine use during pregnancy was associated with 1.5-times higher risk for preeclampsia, but it is also linked to the other comorbid risk factors.

KEYWORDS:

• Pregnancy
• hypothyroidism
• levothyroxine
• preeclampsia
• diabetes
• hypertension

Acknowledgments

We thank Ewen McDonald for editing the language of the manuscript.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to the risk of identifying patients.

Ethics approval

This study was approved by Central Finland Health Care District ethical committee (18U/2011, 6.10.2016)

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

There was no funding for this study.