The Anti-Thyroglobulin and Anti-Thyroperoxidase Auto Antibodies Comparative Mean Titer Values In Infertile Compared To Ferlile Euthyroid Women

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to determine the anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroperoxidase serum auto-antibody levels as primary markers and their immunological correlates as indicators of the cause of infertility and the recurrent spontaneous abortion in some Euthyroid Nigerian women.

DESIGN: A total of two hundred and ninety (290) Euthyroid female volunteers were recruited having filled a designed questionnaire to obtain their informed consents. Thereafter, following the Ethics group recommendations, blood samples were collected from each of the one hundred and sixty four (164) women in the control groups, a week after their menses. The control groups recruited are as follows: (46) nulligravida, (58) multiparous non-pregnant women and (60) pregnant women in their first trimester, served as the third control group. There were one hundred and twenty six (126) infertile women in the test group, made up of (34) primary infertile, (46) secondary infertile and recurrent spontaneous aborters respectively.

The assays of anti-thyroglobulin and anti-microsomal (thyroid peroxidase-anti-TPO) antibodies were determined, using individual agglutination kits and the diagnostic ELISA kits (enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay) from meridian Bioscience Europe.

RESULT / OUTCOME: This study had therefore established the significant presence of anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroperoxidase as immune species marker in the serum of some Euthyroid Nigerian women experiencing reproductive failure compared to the women in the control group. The serum anti-thyroglobulin (Tg-Ab) and anti-microsomal (anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO- Ab) auto antibodies showed that serum anti-thyroglobulin (Tg-Ab) level was significantly higher in the women in the secondary infertile (809.65+ 3.23 U/ml ) than that of the primary infertile group with 539.59+3.79 U/ml  as well as the recurrent spontaneous aborter group with 490.00+3.20 U/ml. This are compared with the control women in the nulligravida with (42.48+3.16 U/ml), multiparous (32.02+ 2.82 U/ml)   and the pregnant (31.90+ 2.77 U/ml) groups. The anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO-Ab) mean titer of the study group was equally higher and significant (P < 0.05) compared to the women in the control group.

Keywords: Anti-thyroglobulin (Tg Ab) , anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO Ab), pregnancy, primary infertility and Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions