Anti-thyroid autoantibodies

Anti-thyroid autoantibodies (or simply anti-thyroid antibodies) are autoantibodies targeted against one or more components of the thyroid. The main types of anti-thyroid autoantibodies are anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies (also called anti-TPO antibodies) and stimulating autoantibodies that are associated with Grave's disease.

Anti-TPO antibodies

Anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies anti-TPO antibodies are most commonly associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis). Thus, an antibody titer can be used to assess disease activity in patients that have developed such antibodies.[1][2]

Effect on human reproduction

The presence of anti-thyroid antibodies is associated with an increased risk of unexplained subfertility (odds ratio 1.5 and 95% confidence interval 1.1–2.0), miscarriage (odds ratio 3.73, 95% confidence interval 1.8–7.6), recurrent miscarriage (odds ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.5–3.5), preterm birth (odds ratio 1.9, 95% confidence interval 1.1–3.5) and maternal Postpartum thyroiditis (odds ratio 11.5, 95% confidence interval 5.6–24).[3]

References

  1. ^ McLachlan SM, Rapoport B (2000). "Autoimmune response to the thyroid in humans: thyroid peroxidase--the common autoantigenic denominator". Int. Rev. Immunol. 19 (6): 587–618. doi:10.3109/08830180009088514. PMID 11129117. 
  2. ^ Chardès T, Chapal N, Bresson D, Bès C, Giudicelli V, Lefranc MP, Péraldi-Roux S (June 2002). "The human anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibody repertoire in Graves' and Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid diseases". Immunogenetics 54 (3): 141–57. doi:10.1007/s00251-002-0453-9. PMID 12073143. 
  3. ^ Van Den Boogaard, E.; Vissenberg, R.; Land, J. A.; Van Wely, M.; Van Der Post, J. A. M.; Goddijn, M.; Bisschop, P. H. (2011). "Significance of (sub)clinical thyroid dysfunction and thyroid autoimmunity before conception and in early pregnancy: A systematic review". Human Reproduction Update 17 (5): 605–619. doi:10.1093/humupd/dmr024. PMID 21622978.  edit