Prevalence of Thyroid Disorders in Primi Pregnant Women in a Rural Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: Evaluation of thyroid disease in pregnancy is important for gestational maternal health, obstetric outcome and development of the child. The most frequent thyroid disorder in pregnancy is maternal hypothyroidism. It is associated with fetal loss, placental abruptions, preterm delivery and reduced intellectual function in the offspring.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on patients attending the antenatal clinic at obstetrics and Gynecology department at MNR Medical College and Hospital over one and half year period from January 2017 to June2018 after institutional ethical committee approval. This was a hospital based prospective study done on 100 antenatal patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Written informed consent was taken after explaining the nature of study and voluntary participation.
Results: Out of 100 sample cases 72 (72%) of cases were diagnosed normal, 14 (14%) of cases were subclinical hypothyroidism and clinical hypothyroidism cases were 10 (10%) and 04 (4%) cases were clinical hyper thyroid cases.Conclusion: The present study showed a high prevalence of thyroid disorder especially hypothyroidism in pregnant women, with the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism being 14%, clinical hypothyroidism being 10% and clinical hyperthyroidism being 4%. Although hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is uncommon, effects on both the mother and fetus are critical. Due to the immense impact that the maternal thyroid disorder has on maternal and fetal outcome, prompt identification of thyroid disorders and timely initiation of treatment is essential. Thus, universal screening of pregnant women for thyroid disorder should be considered especially in a country like India where there is a high prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid disorder. Prompt detection and corrective treatment with thyroxin can prevent many obstetrical complications and result in the delivery of a healthy baby. Therefore, routine testing with serum TSH is a sufficient and cost-effective screening tool.