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| EMGARGOED FOR RELEASE Oct. 12, 2006, 2:30 p.m. PDT |
Contact: Jennifer Reising at jreising@reisingcommunications.com |
Study Finds Relationship Between Newborn Screenings and
Pregnant Mom’s Nutrition
During Pregnancy Iodine Levels Critical to Baby’s Development
(PHOENIX)— Researchers from Ireland have discovered a link between information from thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) screenings routinely performed in newborn babies and the levels of women’s iodine during pregnancy, according to a new study being presented on Thursday, Oct. 12, at the 77th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Phoenix. The use of neonatal TSH data can help detect low iodine levels in pregnant women and ultimately prevent birth defects and mental retardation.
“Recent trends toward declining iodine levels in pregnant mothers have raised a red flag even in developed countries,” explains Robert Burns, MD, a member of the research team led by ATA member Peter Smyth, MD, of the UCD Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland. “In the United States and Europe, assessment of maternal dietary iodine status can be important for normal fetal brain development.”
For the first 13–15 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus has not developed its own thyroid and is wholly dependent on an adequate supply of maternal thyroid hormones to achieve normal development. Production of thyroid hormones by the mother is, in turn, dependent on sufficient dietary iodine intake.
The study analyzed 54,400 neonates screened in Ireland between 1988 and 2006. From 1995 to 2005, the number of mildly elevated TSH levels remained constant (2.35% – 2.83%), ruling out severe iodine deficiency. However, this observation concealed a subtle shift in TSH towards higher values, which was particularly marked in the summer months. Pregnant mothers’ iodine levels from 1988 to 2006 supported the seasonal variation in TSH levels and confirmed a borderline iodine deficient population. Recent years, 2004–2006, note the researchers, began a worrying decline in urinary iodine from pregnant mothers — most significant during the summer months.
“The findings demonstrate that readily available newborn TSH data that can be utilized to detect trends in pregnant mothers’ nutrition, even in countries considered iodine sufficient,” said Dr. Burns. “They can assist in making a decision on iodine status.”
For more information on thyroid disease and pregnancy, visit www.thyroid.org.
The newest research in mechanisms, diagnosis, and clinical management of thyroid disease will be the focus of the ATA Annual Meeting, Oct. 11–15, 2006, at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix. The meeting will bring together thyroid experts from the United States and around the world.
The ATA is the North American professional society for physicians and researchers specializing in diseases of the thyroid gland. The ATA promotes excellence and innovation in clinical care, research, education, and public advocacy.
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