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Birthweight and subsequent risk for thyroid and autoimmune conditions in postmenopausal women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2021

Brian Monahan ,
Leslie V. Farland ,
Aladdin H. Shadyab ,
Susan E. Hankinson ,
JoAnn E. Manson  and
Cassandra N. Spracklen Open the ORCID record for Cassandra N. Spracklen [Opens in a new window]
Brian Monahan
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Leslie V. Farland
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Aladdin H. Shadyab
Affiliation:
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
Susan E. Hankinson
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
JoAnn E. Manson
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Cassandra N. Spracklen*
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Cassandra N. Spracklen, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 715 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the association between birthweight and risk of thyroid and autoimmune conditions in a large sample of postmenopausal women. Baseline data from the Women’s Health Initiative (n = 80,806) were used to examine the associations between birthweight category (<6 lbs., 6–7 lbs. 15 oz, 8–9 lbs. 15 oz, and ≥10 lbs.) and prevalent thyroid (underactive and overactive thyroid and goiter) and autoimmune (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease) conditions. Follow-up questionnaire data were used to examine the associations between birthweight and incident underactive and overactive thyroid, lupus, and RA. Logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate crude and adjusted odds (OR) and hazards ratios (HR), respectively. Overall, women born weighing ≥10 lbs. had an increased risk for underactive thyroid [OR 1.14 (95% CI 1.02, 1.28)] and incident lupus [HR 1.51 (95% CI 1.12, 2.03)] and a decreased risk for overactive thyroid [OR 0.67 (95% CI 0.50, 0.92)] compared to women born weighing 6–7.99 lbs., after adjustment for adult BMI, demographic variables, and lifestyle factors. Further, women born weighing <6 lbs. were at increased risk for underactive thyroid [OR 1.13 (95% CI 1.04, 1.22)]. Birthweight was not associated with other thyroid or autoimmune disorders. High birthweight was associated with later-life thyroid and autoimmune conditions while low birthweight was associated with underactive thyroid. Preconception and prenatal interventions aimed at reducing the risk of both high and low birthweights may reduce the burden of later-life thyroid and autoimmune conditions.

Keywords

Birthweightthyroidautoimmune diseaselupusrheumatoid arthritishyperthyroidhypothyroidpostmenopausal women
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , August 2022 , pp. 463 - 470
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

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