Association of Maternal Mild Hypothyroidism With Offspring Neurodevelopment in TPOAb-Negative Women: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Qingru Wang, Yangqian Jiang, Hong Lv, Qun Lu, Shiyao Tao, Rui Qin, Lei Huang, Cong Liu, Xin Xu, Siyuan Lv, Mei Li, Zhi Li, Jiangbo Du, Yuan Lin, Hongxia Ma, Xia Chi, Zhibin Hu, Tao Jiang, Guoying Zhang
Author Information
Qingru Wang: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Yangqian Jiang: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Hong Lv: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Qun Lu: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Shiyao Tao: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Rui Qin: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Lei Huang: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Cong Liu: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Xin Xu: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Siyuan Lv: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Mei Li: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Zhi Li: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Jiangbo Du: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Yuan Lin: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Hongxia Ma: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Xia Chi: Department of Child Health Care, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, Nanjing, China.
Zhibin Hu: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Tao Jiang: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Guoying Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Objectives: Adequate maternal thyroid hormone availability is crucial for fetal neurodevelopment, but the role of maternal mild hypothyroidism is not clear. We aim to investigate the association of maternal mild hypothyroidism with neurodevelopment in infants at 1 year of age among TPOAb-negative women. Methods: The present study was conducted within the Jiangsu Birth Cohort. A total of 793 mother-infant pairs were eligible for the present study. Maternal thyroid function was assessed by measuring serum thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, and thyroid peroxidase antibodies. Neurodevelopment of infants was assessed by using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development third edition screening test (Bayley-III screening test). Results: In the multivariate adjusted linear regression analyses, infants of women with subclinical hypothyroidism and isolated hypothyroxinemia were associated with decreased receptive communication scores ( = -0.68, = 0.034) and decreased gross motor scores ( = -0.83, = 0.008), respectively. Moreover, infants of women with high-normal TSH concentrations (3.0-4.0 mIU/L) and low FT4 concentrations were significantly associated with lower gross motor scores ( = -1.19, = 0.032), while no differences were observed in infants when the mothers had a high-normal TSH concentration and normal FT4 levels. Conclusions: Maternal subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with decreased receptive communication scores in infants at 1 year of age. In addition, maternal TSH concentration greater than 4.0 mIU/L and maternal isolated hypothyroxinemia are associated with impaired gross motor ability of infants, especially in infants of women with high-normal TSH concentrations (3.0-4.0 mIU/L).
