Abstract

Abdullah Sulaiman Mainasara*, Ismaila Mohammed Lawal, Abdulmumini Yakubu, Chinedum Charles Onyenekwe and Bashar Sani

ABSTRACT

Background: Iodine is an essential micronutrient essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. Treatment of iodine deficiency during the late gestation period does not improve or correct foetal or neonatal neurological development and inadequate iodine intakes during pregnancy may result in varying degrees of hypothyroidism affecting pregnancy outcomes adversely. The study was designed to determine Iodine status of pregnant women in various trimesters and assess the thyroid hormones and iodine levels association among them. Materials and Methods: A total of 192 pregnant women in their various trimesters and 65 non-pregnant, non-lactating age-matched controls were evaluated. Spot urine samples were measured for pregnant women in each trimester and controls for iodine levels using modified Sandell-Kolthoff method. Serum samples were assayed for levels of Thyroxine (tT4), Triiodotyronine (tT3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in each trimester in subjects and controls by Enzyme-linked immunoassay method. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 for the mean ages and median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) for pregnant women, controls and then for each trimester of pregnancy. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for correlation of iodine levels between the various trimesters and thyroid hormones. Results: Mean ages ± standard deviation for pregnant women and controls were 25.51 ±4.97 years and 26.50 ± 6.33 years, respectively (p > 0.05). Median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) for pregnant women and controls were 124 ?g/L and 143 ?g/L, respectively. Trimester-specific median UICs were 134 ?g/L, 125 ?g/L, and 117 ?g/L for the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. Conclusion: The study suggested a positive correlation between UIC and tT3, tT4 in the first, second and third trimesters. A negative correlation between UIC and TSH was also established in all the trimesters. The degree of women with iodine deficiency increased with advancing gestational period.