Citation

Plaza A, Garcia-Esteve L, Ascaso C, Navarro P, Gelabert E, Halperin I, Valdés M, Martin-Santos R. J. Affect. Disord. 2010; 122(1-2): 159-163.

Affiliation

Unit of Perinatal Psychiatry and Gender Research, Hospital Clinic Universitari of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain. anna.plaza@eresmas.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2009.07.021

PMID

19740549

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between early life events in women with postpartum major depression and concomitant hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis disturbances (HPTD), thyroid dysfunction or presence of thyroid antibodies. METHODS: Serum total tri-iodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxin (FT4), Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), Thyroperoxidasa (TPOAb) and Thyroglobulin (TGAb) autoantibodies was measured in 103 major postpartum depressive women. HPTD was defined as TSH and/or T4 abnormal, presence of thyroid autoantibodies and alterations of TT3. All women were assessed with a psychiatry structured interview for DSM-IV. Early Trauma Inventory Self Report, sociodemographic, reproductive, psychosocial and psychopathological variables were also assessed. RESULTS: Sixty three percent of women had suffered childhood trauma, which was childhood sexual abuse in 27.2%. Childhood sexual abuse in postpartum major depression women increased the risk for thyroid dysfunction (OR=5.018, 95%CI=1.128-22.327), presence of thyroid autoantibodies (OR=2.528; 95%CI=1.00-6.39) and HPTD (OR=2.955; 95%CI=1.191-7.32). Moreover, age over 34 (OR=12.394; 95%CI=1.424-107.910) and previous postpartum depression (OR=8.470; 95%CI=1.20-59.43) increased the risk for thyroid dysfunction in postpartum depression. LIMITATIONS: The study design does not allow us to know the direction of the association and there is a lack of previous assessment of current posttraumatic stress disorder. CONCLUSIONS: According to the present findings, childhood sexual abuse may represent an important risk factor for the presence of thyroid autoantibodies and HPTD in women with postpartum depression.

Language: en