Sex-specific effect of maternal thyroid peroxidase antibody exposure during pregnancy on 5- to 6-year-old children’s cardiometabolic risk score: The Ma'anshan birth cohort (MABC) study

Abstract Objective To explore the association between maternal thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) exposure and 5- to 6-year-old children's cardiometabolic risk (CMR). Methods A total of 2129 mother–child pairs were recruited from the Ma'anshan Birth Cohort (MABC) study. Serum TPOAb was retrospectively measured in pregnant women using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. CMR score was evaluated by the serum glycolipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference for children aged 5-6 years. Growth mixture modelling was used to fit trajectories of TPOAb levels throughout pregnancy. Multiple linear regression models and logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses. Results Two thousand one hundred twenty-nine mother–child pairs (mean [SD] age, 26.6 [3.6] years) were enrolled for the final study. Maternal TPOAb exposure in the first trimester increased children's overall CMR, glucose level, HOMA-IR, triglyceride level, boys’ overall CMR, boys’ glucose level, and girls’ glucose level. TPOAb exposure in the first trimester was also associated with lower boys’ high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level. In the second trimester, maternal TPOAb exposure was positively associated with children's triglyceride level. Compared with low TPOAb trajectory, children with high maternal TPOAb trajectory had an increased risk of developing high CMR (OR = 3.40; 95% CI, 1.30-8.90), hyperglycemia (OR = 5.20; 95% CI, 2.20-12.28), insulin-resistance (adjusted OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.10-4.07), and hypertriglyceridemia (OR = 2.55; 95% CI, 1.06-6.14). Conclusions The first trimester of pregnancy is a critical period for maternal TPOAb exposure to affect CMR in children, with some sex specificity, mainly to the detriment of boys.