Table 2.
Summary of Meta-Analysis Results of Thyroid Function (Thyrotropin, Free Thyroxine, Free Triiodothyronine), Thyroid Antibodies (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies, Thyroglobulin Antibodies), Adverse Events, Ultrasound Findings (Thyroid Volume), and Immune Markers (Interleukin-2, Interleukin-10, Malondialdehyde)
| Outcome | Included cohorts | No. of participants | Pooled effect estimate [CI] | Heterogeneity I2 (%) | Publication bias |
Quality of evidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egger's (p) | Rank's (p) | ||||||
| Thyroid function (effect estimate reported as SMD) | |||||||
| TSH all | 26 | 2063 | −0.21 [−0.43 to 0.01] | 59 | 0.71 | 0.76 | Moderate |
| Without THRT | 7 | 869 | −0.21 [−0.41 to −0.02] | 0 | 0.76 | 0.76 | — |
| fT4 all | 21 | 1664 | 0.05 [−0.15 to 0.25] | 33 | 0.11 | 0.46 | Moderate |
| Without THRT | 7 | 623 | 0.16 [−0.06 to 0.39] | 0 | 0.82 | 0.88 | — |
| fT3 all | 11 | 658 | 0.51 [−0.11 to 1.13] | 84 | 0.83 | 0.94 | Very low |
| Without THRT | 3 | 239 | 1.01 [−0.60 to 2.63] | 95 | 0.24 | 1.00 | — |
| T4 | 3 | 187 | −0.02 [−0.42 to 0.39] | 0 | — | — | — |
| T3 | 4 | 252 | −0.11 [−0.48 to 0.26] | 0 | — | — | — |
| Thyroid antibodies (effect estimate reported as SMD) | |||||||
| TPOAb | 29 | 2358 | −0.96 [−1.36 to −0.56] | 90 | 0.24 | 0.04 | Low |
| TGAb | 17 | 1283 | −0.27 [−0.59 to 0.06] | 74 | 0.52 | 0.71 | Low |
| AEs (effect estimate reported as OR) | |||||||
| 16 | 1339 | 0.89 [0.46 to 1.75] | 0 | 0.22 | 0.08 | Moderate | |
| Ultrasound findings (effect estimate reported as SMD) | |||||||
| Thyroid volume | 4 | 182 | −0.14 [−0.57 to 0.28] | 0 | — | — | — |
| Immune markers (effect estimate reported as SMD) | |||||||
| IL-2 | 3 | 189 | −0.68 [−1.44 to 0.09] | 59 | — | — | — |
| IL-10 | 3 | 189 | 0.20 [−0.21 to 0.61] | 0 | — | — | — |
| MDA | 3 | 248 | −1.16 [−2.29 to −0.03] | 85 | — | — | — |
Bold values indicate significant results.
CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; SMD, standardized mean difference.