Background: Literature to date has been inconclusive regarding the value of thyroglobulin (Tg) as a marker of iodine status in pregnant women. This systematic review and meta-analysis is one of the first to assess whether Tg concentration accurately reflects iodine status among pregnant women. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Scopus, and other relevant databases to identify relevant studies published in the English language, between January 1988 and December 2018. The criteria for study inclusion in the systematic review were human studies, healthy pregnant women as participants, and available data for maternal urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and Tg level. Each study was assessed for quality and risk of bias. The pooled mean Tg values, and 95% confidence intervals were estimated in a population of women with UIC <150 and UIC ≥150 μg/L during pregnancy. Potential linear or nonlinear dose-response associations between maternal UIC and Tg concentration were examined. Results: Of 814 identified studies, 25 were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Studies included were conducted in Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Oceania. The pooled mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) Tg concentration in iodine-deficient pregnant women was higher than that in iodine-sufficient pregnant women (10.73 μg/L [5.65-15.82] vs. 7.34 μg/L [2.20-12.47]); a comparison of the 95% CI showed that none of these values was significantly different. No significant differences were observed in Tg concentration between the two groups in each trimester of pregnancy. Dose-response meta-analyses revealed a significant nonlinear association between maternal UIC and Tg concentration during pregnancy. Among populations of pregnant women, an inverse association was found between UIC values <100 μg/L and Tg concentration (p-linearity = 0.007; p-nonlinearity = 0.027); however, higher values of UIC were not associated with Tg concentration. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed that Tg concentration can be a sensitive indicator of iodine deficiency, specifically in populations of pregnant women with median UIC <100 μg/L. Further studies are warranted to determine the sensitivity of Tg at different degrees of iodine deficiency during pregnancy.
Keywords: iodine deficiency disorders; pregnancy; thyroglobulin; urinary iodine concentration.