February 2008 · Vol. 20, No. 02How to manage hyperthyroid disease in pregnancy
Uncontrolled hyperthyroidism can be fairly innocuous or life-threatening to mother and fetus
SECOND OF 2 PARTS
|
Fast Track
ACOG does not endorse routine screening for thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women
The most common cause of hyperthyroidism in pregnancy is Graves’ disease, which accounts for about 95% of cases
Thyroid storm can be precipitated by infection, surgery, thromboembolism, preeclampsia, labor, and delivery
Whatever regimen you select to treat hyperthyroidism of pregnancy, adopt a program of close monitoring of thyroid function
|
|
Annette
E.
Bombrys,
DODr. Bombrys is a Fellow in Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mounira
A.
Habli,
MDDr. Habli is a Fellow in Maternal–Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio. Baha
M.
Sibai,
MDDr. Sibai is Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The authors report no financial relationships relevant to this article.
The signs and symptoms of hyperthyroidism can include nervousness, heat intolerance, tachycardia, palpitations, goiter, weight loss, thyromegaly, exophthalmia, increased appetite, nausea and vomiting, sweating, and tremor.1 The difficulty here? Many of these symptoms are also seen in pregnant women who have normal thyroid function, so that symptoms alone are not a reliable guide.
|
