Postpartum thyroid dysfunction and HLA status

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Abstract
Nine‐hundred‐and‐one women presenting in an antenatal clinic at the 60th week of pregnancy were tested for antithyroid antibodies. A group of 113 antibody‐positive women and 108 antibody‐negative age‐matched controls were HLA typed and followed prospectively at 6‐weekly intervals through pregnancy and for 12 months postpartum. Forty‐five of the women developed biochemical evidence of postpartum thyroid dysfunction (PPTD) of whom 36 were antibody positive. Compared with a local control population (n = 600), and using multiplex analysis, there was a significant increase in the combinations HLA B8, DR3 and HLA Al, B8, DR3 from 22.5% to 40.0% (PP<0.01) respectively in the women who developed PPTD. The well‐recognized association of these haplotypes with other organ‐specific autoimmune diseases provides further support for autoimmune events being implicated in the development of PPTD.