Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39676726›Full record

Trial reportClinical endocrinology2025

Reference Ranges and Determinants of Thyroid Function and TSH Receptor Antibodies During Early Pregnancy in Nepal.

Kjersti S Bakken, Apeksha Niraula, Ram K Chandyo, Manjeswori Ulak, Laxman Shrestha, Vijay Kumar Sharma, Tor A Strand, Tim I M Korevaar

Abstract readClinical Trial, Phase IIClinical Trial, Phase IIIRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical endocrinology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Kjersti S BakkenCenter for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9308-3367
Apeksha NiraulaDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Ram K ChandyoDepartment of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Manjeswori UlakCenter for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Laxman ShresthaDepartment of Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Vijay Kumar SharmaDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Tor A StrandCenter for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Tim I M KorevaarDepartment of Internal Medicine, Academic Center for Thyroid Diseases, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7961-8791

Funding

The study was supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence scheme (project number 223269), the University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, to the Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC), the Innlandet Hospital Trust (IHT) Research Fund (project number 150424), Lillehammer, Norway, Norges Forskningsråd, and Sykehuset Innlandet HF.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveDifferent definitions of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy may lead to under or overtreatment. The aims of this study were to (1) define population-based pregnancy-specific reference ranges for thyroid dysfunction during early pregnancy in Nepal and assess the impact of antibody positivity, (2) quantify the diagnostic impact of population-based reference ranges compared with current practice and (3) assess the determinants of thyroid function and antibody positivity.

methodsA total of 800 healthy pregnant women aged 20-40 years in the Bhaktapur municipality were included. Population-based reference ranges for thyroid hormones levels were defined as 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles using competitive immunoluminometric assay design. Thyroid disease cases and those with recommended treatment indications were calculated using current non-pregnancy new reference ranges. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify the determinants of thyroid hormones and antibody levels.

resultsMedian gestational age was 11 weeks. The reference interval was 0.05-3.69 µLU/mL for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and 8.89-15.28 pg/mL for free tetraiodothyronine (fT4) after excluding thyroid peroxidase antibody-positive women. Compared with the current non-pregnancy reference ranges, the new calculations increased the number of women who required treatment from 5 to 12 (0.9% increase). We identified 19 women (2.4%) who were positive for TSH receptor antibody (TRAb). We could not identify the determinants of TRAb positivity, and TRAb positivity was not associated with TSH or fT4 levels.

conclusionsWe found meaningful changes using population-based pregnancy-specific TSH and fT4 reference intervals and encourage further studies in other low- and middle-income settings. Our findings suggest that population screening for TRAb is not clinically meaningful.

trial registrationClinical Trial Registration: U1111-1183-4093.

Indexed as

AutoantibodiesImmunoglobulins, Thyroid-StimulatingReceptors, ThyrotropinThyroid GlandAdultFemaleHumansNepalPregnancyPregnancy ComplicationsReference ValuesThyroid DiseasesThyroid Function TestsThyrotropinThyroxineYoung AdultAutoantibodiesImmunoglobulins, Thyroid-StimulatingReceptors, ThyrotropinThyrotropinThyroxineNepalpregnancyreference rangeTgAbthyroid autoimmunitythyroid functionTPOAbTRAb

Identifiers

PMID39676726
PMCPMC11788947

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.