Decreased levels of TSH ( 0
Decreased levels of TSH ( 0.06 mIU/l) were detected in 23 antibodies in TPOAb-positive pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis.A: Correlation of free thyroxine (FT4) and index of positivity for anti-IgG antibodies (IP for IgG). association, but its main aim was to evaluate the association of toxoplasmosis and mood disturbances in pregnancy [11]. However, until now, no study has resolved the effect of toxoplasmosis on thyroid hormone levels in patients with AITD. Toxoplasmosis is an endemic zoonosis caused by the parasitic protist may lead to immune suppression both in mice and humans [23], [24]. Latent toxoplasmosis is usually thus a highly prevalent disease leading to alterations in the immune system and hormonal profile. A possible link between latent toxoplasmosis and AITD in pregnancy needs to be resolved. The goal of this study was to investigate whether or not there is an association between latent maternal toxoplasmosis, detected by immunological assessments, and AITD in pregnant women diagnosed based on serum levels of TPOAb and thyroid hormones in the first trimester of pregnancy. Subjects and Methods The study was designed as a retrospective cross-sectional study and was performed in cooperation of three clinical settings of the General University Hospital in Prague (Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, and the Third Department of Medicine) DDR1 and the Department of Viewpoint and History of Science, Albendazole sulfoxide D3 Faculty of Science, Charles University or college in Prague. Subjects A total of 1250 consecutive women screened for AITD in 2008 and 2009 in the General University Hospital in Prague were included in the study. They were examined within an experimental universal testing programme for AITD conducted in 2006C2009 (gestational wks 9C12) [2]. The screening was focused on autoantibodies against thyroperoxidase (TPOAb), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and free thyroxine (FT4). FT4 was assessed only in women with pathological TSH and/or positive for TPOAb. The laboratory assessment was Albendazole sulfoxide D3 performed in a single laboratory at the Institute of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics. The AITD screening was carried out as part of the routine screening for chromosomal Albendazole sulfoxide D3 abnormalities (i.e. serum free beta-hCG and PAPP-A) in the 9C12th gestational weeks in all consecutive study subjects regardless of their medical history or symptoms. Serum samples collected at the time of screening, were frozen and stored at ?70C for later evaluation. They were utilized for retrospective measurement of antibodies against positivity frequencies in subgroups of pregnant women screened for thyroid disorders are shown in Table 3. Table 1 Basic characteristics of women included in the study. positivity. Positivity in screening for autoimmune thyroid disorders included either positivity of TPOAb and/or pathological TSH. Latent toxoplasmosis and thyroid autoimmunity Although the overall comparison did not show an increased prevalence of TPOAb positivity in the (IP for IgG), we found a negative association between CFT antibody titres and TPOAb levels (antibodies and serum TPOAb levels in the TPOAb-positive pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis (Spearman correlation). Latent toxoplasmosis and thyroid hormones Latent toxoplasmosis was associated with a decrease in TSH levels. Women with latent toxoplasmosis experienced lower TSH levels than the women; SD?=?1.82) (Fig. 2). Decreased levels of TSH ( 0.06 mIU/l) were detected in 23 antibodies in TPOAb-positive pregnant women with latent toxoplasmosis.A: Correlation of free thyroxine (FT4) and index of positivity for anti-IgG antibodies (IP for IgG). B: Correlation of FT4 and logarithmic values of the match fixation test (CFT) antibodies against (Spearman correlation). Dotted lines represent the reference range for FT4. The statistical analysis did not show any correlation either between the IP for IgG or between the CFT antibody titres and TSH or TPOAb in the IgG positivity in ELISA (women with IgM positivity were excluded). Of the 1248 pregnant women, 22.5% were screened positive for latent toxoplasmosis and 14.7% for AITD. Although we could not detect any strong effect of latent toxoplasmosis on the presence of AITD, we found that women with latent toxoplasmosis experienced more often highly elevated TPOAb than the oocytes excreted by cats. In contrast to Tozzoli et.