Thyroid autoimmunity and recurrent miscarriage.

PROBLEM: To investigate the role of antithyroid autoantibodies (ATA) in recurrent miscarriage (RM).

METHODS

In this case-control study, a total of 160 women with RM and 100 healthy women were investigated for the presence of serum ATA directed against thyreoglobulin (TG-Ab), thyroid peroxidase (TPO-Ab) and TSH receptor (TSHr-Ab), which were determined by either chemiluminescence or radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS

Antithyroid autoantibodies were detected in 46 (28.75%) women with RM and in 13 (13%) women of the control group (P < 0.05). The frequencies for TG-Ab and TPO-Ab were higher in RM than in control women. Among the women of RM group, 91.3% of ATA+ women were positive also for other autoantibodies. The majority of study women were euthyroid.

CONCLUSIONS

Antithyroid autoantibodies, particularly TG-Ab, are associated with RM and could be an expression of a more general maternal immune system abnormality leading to RM. ATA could have a role in RM irrespective of thyroid hormone status.